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GLOOSCAP THE GREAT CHIEF 
AND OTHER STORIES 



Commended in the highest terms 
by the highest authorities, 

STORY-TELLING 
IN SCHOOL and HOME 

A Study in Educational iEsthetics 

By 
Emelyn Newcomb Partridge 

Story-Teller for the Bancroft School 

and 
G. E. Partridge, Ph.D. 

Author of ' 'Genetic Philosophy 
of Education," etc. 

12mo. Illustrated. $1.25 net. 

All a teacher or story-teller needs to 
know about story-telling, and plenty of 
good stories of various types to tell. 




The llev. Dr. Silas Teitiiis Rand and two Miemac Indian boys 



From a photograph loaned by Mrs. Enos Chitchill of Darmoidh, 
Nova Scotia. 



GLOOSCAP THE GREAT 

CHIEF AND OTHER 

STORIES 

LEGENDS OF THE MICMACS 



BY 

EMELYN NEWCOMB PARTRIDGE 

STORT-TELLER FOR BANCROFT SCHOOL AND GARDEN CITIES, WORCESTER, 

MASSACHUSETTS; AND AUTHOR (WITH G. E. PARTRIDGE) 

OF "STOEY-TELLINQ IN SCHOOL AND HOME." 



ILLUSTRATED 



STURGIS & WALTON 

COMPANY 

1913 



EZctcj 



Copyrifht, 191 S 
By STURGIS & WALTON COMPANY 



Set up and electrotyped. Published S ptember, 1918 



€;aA3;38157 



TO 
MY DEAR 

MOTHER AND FATHER 

THESE MICMAC LEGENDS 
ARE LOVINGLY INSCRIBED 



PEEFACE 

One of my earliest recollections is of being 
alone on the playhouse steps learning to fly. It 
may have been the roar of the Bay of Fundy 
— for we lived beside it — or because I was so 
engrossed in my task, that I did not hear the 
approach of any one, until suddenly a great ter- 
ror seized me and I saw close beside me several 
giant dogs, and behind them a group of Indians 
with baskets on their backs. Then there is the 
memory of being comforted by my mother and 
of my surprise and interest at seeing the 
strange people partaking of her hospitality. 

This was my first acquaintance with the Mic- 
macs. Afterwards such scenes became fa- 
miliar. I frequently heard my parents talk 
about the work of Dr. Kand — the first protes- 
tant missionary among these Indians; and 
whenever Dr. Rand was in that locality he was 
a visitor in our home, for he was a kinsman. 
It was then that I learned of the legends of 
Glooscap. 

With such recollections hovering in conscious- 
ness it was natural, when a few summers ago 
I was searching for new stories to tell to my 
playground children, that I should turn back to 



vi PREFACE 

the memories of cMldliood, and consider how 
I could make use of these but little known 
legends. I was surprised to find how eagerly 
the children listened to the tales, and how in- 
sistently they clamoured for more. Since that 
summer I have told them to many others of all 
ages, in many places, and finding that they have 
always aroused deep interest, I decided to re- 
tell them for a wider public than they have hith- 
erto reached. And so I am sending them out 
for the use of children, parents, and teachers — 
the story lovers and the story tellers. 

The main source from which I have drawn is 
Rand's Legends of the Micmacs, published by 
Wellesley College from the manuscripts of Dr. 
Rand purchased for that institution by Profes- 
sor E. N. Horsford. I have also made some 
use of Leland's The Algonquin Legends of New 
England^ and of Kuloskap the Master by Le- 
land and Prince. And I have had access to the 
Rand manuscripts in the possession of the de- 
partment of comparative philology of Wellesley 
College. 

Acknowledgments are gratefully made, fore- 
most of all, to my husband, who has helped me, 
stex) by step, from the beginning to the end of 
the book: 

To Wellesley College and to the family of 



PREFACE vii 

Professor E. N. Horsford for permission to use 
the Rand publication and manuscripts: 

To the librarians of Clark University and of 
the Free Public Library of Worcester for their 
never failing courtesy and aid: 

To Dr. Alexander F. Chamberlain of Clark 
University who has obligingly answered per- 
plexing questions about the Indians : 

To Mrs. John Bentley of Halifax who kindly 
loaned me her copy of the now rare Legends of 
the Micmacs: 

To Miss Hattie Rand who gave me an inti- 
mate view of her father's life and w^ork: 

To my dear father, for many talks about his 
own acquaintance with Micmac Indians, and for 
numerous anecdotes about Dr. Rand, both of 
which gave me a better equipment for the prep- 
aration of these legends: 

And last, my indebtedness is reverently 
acknowledged to her whose life was an inspira- 
tion to those who knew her, and whose teach- 
ings were consistent with her life. 

Emelyn Newcomb Pabteidge. 

Worcester, Massachusetts, 
January 16, 1913. 



INTEODUCTION 

*'This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines 
and the hemlocks, 

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct 
in the twilight, 

Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and pro- 
phetic, 

Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their 
bosoms. 

Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neigh- 
bouring ocean 

Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail 
of the forest.^' 

The stories told in this book will be read with 
greater sympathy and understanding if one 
knows something about the people who pro- 
duced them — about their history and the ori- 
gin of their legends. For these tales are not 
merely stories; they are fragments of the men- 
tal life of an ancient race. If one is to entei: 
into the spirit of the stories, he must, so far as 
he can, forget for the moment the environment 
of civilised life; he must place himself, in 
fancy, in the ancient forest before the coming 
of the white man, and partake of the life and 
the thought and the feelings of its people. 

ix 



X INTRODUCTION 

The Micmac Indians, from whom these 
legends were gathered, lived chiefly in Nova 
Scotia and New Brunswick. How numerous 
they once were no one can tell, but there are 
now about four thousand to bear witness to 
their former greatness, of which they still 
boast. The Micmacs, with the Penobscot, the 
Passamaquoddy, the Maliseet, and a few smal- 
ler tribes make up the Wabanaki family, a 
branch of the Algonquin Nation, the most 
widely extended of the six great divisions of 
North American aborigines. The Passama- 
quoddy are of New Brunswick and Maine, and 
the Penobscot of Maine and lower New Eng- 
land. The most important fact about the Wa- 
banaki is that they were united by the common 
possession of a deity or demi-god called Gloos- 
cap, about whom developed an exceedingly rich 
and imaginative mythology. 

Little was known about the Micmacs in a defi- 
nite way until 1846, when Dr. Silas T. Eand 
of Nova Scotia began his work as missionary 
among them. Dr. Eand was a man of broad 
learning, and one of the best linguists America 
has produced. Throughout a long and remark- 
ably industrious life his interest in these peo- 
ple never waned. He translated the Bible into 
their language, and with great care accumu- 
lated a dictionary of forty thousand of their 
words. He wrote articles about their language 



INTRODUCTION xi 

and customs, in whicli he manifested his grow- 
ing admiration for their intelligence and char- 
acter. 

Dr. Eand^s wide knowledge of many lan- 
guages naturally led him to a close study of 
the language of the Micmacs; and his opinion 
must be accepted as of the highest value. In- 
stead of finding this language poor and limited, 
as he had expected, he soon discovered it to be 
quite the reverse, remarkably flexible and ex- 
pressive. ^^In declension of nouns, and in con- 
jugation of verbs it is as regular as the Greek, 
and twenty times as copious!" he exclaims; 
and to a profound student of Greek this must 
indeed have excited wonder and admiration, for 
in that day much less was known than now 
about the languages of primitive peoples. It 
is not surprising that he was astonished when 
he found that a single verb of this language, if 
given in all its modifications, would fill a vol- 
ume; that there were indicative, imperative, 
subjunctive, potential, and infinitive moods, and 
in the indicative the forms of eleven tenses; 
that there were active, passive and middle 
voices, and great flexibility in compounding 
words, as in the German and Greek; that al- 
most, any word in the Micmac could take on the 
verbal form, and then could be inflected 
throughout all moods and tenses — for it was 
quite natural then for a scholar to suppose that 



xii INTRODUCTION 

language had grown up to meet the needs of 
civilisation and the writing of books, and to 
fail to see how rich and varied was the life in 
the primitive forest, and how ancient and deep 
were its thoughts. This was before the day of 
Darwin. 

The Indian who moves through these stories 
we must think of as dressed in skins, painted 
of body, decorated with brightly coloured shells 
and feathers. ' His weapons were the bow and 
arrows with heads of stone. His days were 
spent in hunting and fishing and in warfare. 
His home was the wigwam, and one has but to 
hear his stories to know how great a part this 
place of shelter played in his daily life and in 
all his thoughts. The Micmac's land was cold 
in the winter; his lodge was firmly framed of 
strong trunks of trees, and made tight with 
rows of bark, and lined with boughs of spruce 
against the winter winds. Smaller branches 
he used for carpets, cushions and beds, and 
springing boughs closed the doorway. Man 
has many terms for that which is nearest his 
heart. The Micmac called the minutest part 
of his lodge by its name. Each post, bar and 
fastening, every tier of bark and every ap- 
pendage had its specific designation ; and every 
part of the wigwam had its precise use, fixed 
by inviolable custom and law. 

The wigwam was the centre of all the social 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

life of the Indian. Obedience to the laws and 
traditions of the wigwam was the beginning of 
the education of his children ; by these laws he 
taught respect for custom and for parents. 
Form and etiquette were as dear to the savage 
as to us, and gentle breeding was as well marked 
by the habits in the home. The stranger within 
the wigwam was always treated with the most 
formal politeness and yet with the warmest hos- 
pitality. Violation of this first law of social 
life would have been exceeded in rudeness only 
by a neglect, on the part of the guest, of the 
equally precise part that was prescribed for 
him. 

If we are accustomed to think of the life of 
the savage as lacking in order and discipline 
we need but to look into the wigwam to under- 
stand our mistake. In the centre is the fire, 
by one side of which sit the master and the 
mistress of the house, the wife's place nearest 
the door. On the other side of the fire are the 
old people, and the younger members of the 
family. Toward the end of the wigwam, far 
from the door, is the seat of honour, and here 
sits the welcomed guest. The men sit cross- 
legged, as is the custom, the women with the 
feet curled to the side, and the children with 
theirs freely extended. 

If love and marriage are the greatest part 
of life as they are of the story, whether of the 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

savage or of civilised man, the wedding cere- 
mony of the Micmac may be said most truly to 
represent him. Courtship was brief, but often 
dramatic. If a suitor were acceptable to the 
old people, who had the power of disposing of 
their daughters, he was addressed as ^* son-in- 
law" when he entered the wigwam, and was in- 
vited to the seat of honour. This consummated 
the marriage. A feast was prepared; the 
neighbours were invited in; they ate, danced, 
and played games; then all dispersed and the 
young man took the bride to her new home. 

But ^Hhe older order change th, yielding place 
to new." Now, the Micmacs live in houses and 
till the ground and wear the garb and cultivate 
the vices of civilisation. They no longer en- 
gage in war, and torture and burn their pris- 
oners. But they still maintain the custom of 
electing their chiefs as of old, when envoys of 
the ten tribes which range from Cape Breton 
to Western Canada meet in council. And they 
still hold their annual festival and mystic dance 
of the sakaivachkih, — Indians of olden times. 

The legends of the Micmacs were buried 
treasure until Dr. Kand unearthed them. To 
him belongs the credit of having discovered 
Glooscap, the Ukchesakumou (Great Chief), the 
Master, the Lord of Men and Beasts, whom the 
Indians believed lived at Blomidon, still called 



INTRODUCTION xv 

by them Glooscap-weeJc (Glooscap's Home). 
Once Dr. Rand asked an Indian whether he 
really believed that such a person as Glooscap 
ever lived. The Micmac looked at him in sur- 
prise. 

**Why!" he exclaimed, looking about him, 
**Why, all dese pitty stones ^ him, he mahum!^' 

Surely this was conclusive evidence! 

Another Indian, Stephen, said of Glooscap : 

**He is not far from any of the Indians.'' 
And the Micmac, Benjamin Brooks, said: 

*'The Indians did not know where he was, 
and therefore they did not know which way to 
go ; but they knew that while he was with them 
he was never very far away, and that he could 
always be found by those who diligently sought 
him.'' 

And still another spoke of the Master in these 
words : 

^^He loved mankind, and whenever he might 
be in the wilderness, he was never very far 
from any Indian. He dwelt in a lonely land, 
but whenever they sought him they found him. ' ' 

*^ These were his very words," writes Dr. 
Rand, ^^and he had no idea that he was using 
almost the exact words of Holy Writ with ref- 
erence to God." 

*'This remarkable personage," the mission- 
ary continues, ^^ figures in all their atookwo- 



xvi INTRODUCTION 

huns. Here is evidently a clear conception of 
God as the friend, companion, guide, instructor 
and helper of the human race.'' 

In the Micmac's belief, Glooscap looked and 
lived like other Indians. But he was never 
sick; he never grew old; he never died. He 
was not married, but a venerable old woman, 
whom he called Noogumee (grandmother) and 
a little servant, Marten, kept his lodge for him. 
This great wigwam was on Cape Blomidon. 
Minas Basin was his beaver pond. The dam 
was at Cape Split, but Glooscap, once angry 
with the treacherous beavers, tore open the dam 
and the water rushed through. The Micmacs 
still call the place Pleegum, which means, *Hhe 
opening made in a beaver dam." What is now 
Spencer's Island, the Indians to this day point 
out as the Master's kettle, a huge stone; and 
near the kettle which he overturned when he 
went away, his faithful dogs, transformed into 
rock, await their Master's return. 

To Glooscap the Indians give thanks for all 
their knowledge. It was he, they say, who 
taught them to hunt and to build their weirs 
for fish. He told them what animals and what 
fish were suitable to be their food. He taught 
them the hidden virtues of plants, roots and 
barks. He told them the names of all the stars. 
He travelled far and wide among his people, 
and there is not a place in all the land of the 



INTRODUCTION xvii 

Wabanaki that did not know Glooscap, the 
Great Chief. 

The legends of Glooscap, which Dr. Eand and 
those who have followed him have gathered, 
are parts of a great mythology telling the story 
of a hero whom Leland asserts is the most 
Aryan-like character ever conceived by the 
mind of a savage race. Aside from their in- 
terest as stories they involve many intricate 
problems in the field of literature and racial 
development. We do not know precisely how 
they originated, whether they are entirely the 
creation of the Indian, or whether they have 
been influenced greatly by contact with other 
peoples, by the great waves of migration that 
have from time to time swept over the world. 

Leland points out curious similarities be- 
tween the Wabanaki (which includes the Mic- 
mac) mythology and the Norse. In both, man 
was made from the Ash tree, and was without 
sense until the creator endowed him with it. 
Odin^s messengers were two ravens. The mes- 
sengers of Glooscap were two loons. Both 
were often troubled by the unreliability of these 
servants. For his ^^ dogs'' (beasts of burden) 
Glooscap had two wolves, one white and the 
other black, typifying day and night. In the 
Eddas we read, 

"Magic songs they sang: 
Rode on wolves, 
The God and gods/' 



xviii INTRODUCTION 

In the last day an earthquake will announce 
the mighty battle which Glooscap will fight with 
his enemies, the giants and sorcerers, suggest- 
ing the last great battle on the plain Vigrid, in 
which the drama of the gods culminates, in the 
Icelandic sagas. 

Both the Norse and the Micmac mythologies 
have a mischief-maker, in the Indian legends 
appearing as the badger, or woodchuck, or wol- 
verine, or merry Lox, who is also a man. 

Again the mighty giant, Kitpooseagunow, 
the friend of the Master, suggests Thor. In 
the fishing trip of Glooscap and Kitpoosea- 
gunow one is reminded of the visit of Thor to 
Hymir, and of the scene in the boat when Thor 
caught up the head of the great Midgard ser- 
pent from the bottom of the sea. 

Whether there is more than accidental re- 
semblances, in these stories of the two mytholo- 
gies, or more than such likeness as grows out 
of the common nature of the minds of men and 
the similarity of the materials which they have 
wrought, we will leave to the ethnologists to 
decide. That the interesting theory that these 
old stories are one in origin is discountenanced 
now by many scientists only leaves the prob- 
lem of these strange relations of the Norse 
and Indian heroes the more deep and perplex- 
ing. 

We have mentioned now two of the three 



INTRODUCTION xix 

great Indian heroes: Glooscap and Kitpoosea- 
gnnow, about each of whom is woven a story, 
of which we have but a part. There is a third 
hero, Pulowech, who, it seems, belongs to an 
earlier cycle of stories than the others — to the 
days ^'in the long ago, when men were as ani- 
mals and animals as men," as the Indian him- 
self says. These are, perhaps, like the stories 
of Glooscap, fragments of an epic poem, and one 
day the other fragments may be found, and all 
be welded together to make a connected whole, 
as ethnologists have almost succeeded in do- 
ing with the Glooscap legends. 

The Indian's fear of nature and the unknown 
has taken form in his belief in giants, which 
everywhere seems to shadow him, and which 
gives to his stories an air of mystery and trag- 
edy. The Culloo and the Chenoo seem never 
far from his mind. The Culloo was a giant 
cannibal bird with a hundred claws. He ruled 
in a kingdom beyond the sky. When he needed 
provisions he would fly to the earth, and 
stretching out one of his huge claws, he would 
seize a whole village full of people and carry 
them away to his own country, where he could 
devour them at leisure. 

The Chenoo, also, was a cannibal, a giant 
from the north with heart of ice and stone. 
He was a monster with extraordinary powers 



XX INTRODUCTION 

of evil, and the Indians feared these creatures 
of the imagination all the more because they 
believed that they were men who had been 
transformed into giants because of their evil 
deeds. 

The Micmacs believed in necromancy. Boo- 
oins (wizards) appear frequently in their aifooA:- 
wokuns. The Boooin could fly through the air; 
he could pass through the earth; he could 
remain under water as long as he wished; 
and he could perform many other feats 
of magic. The Megumoowesoo was a magician 
of a higher type, a man endowed with super- 
natural powers, which he always used for good. 
The Indians of Dr. Band's day believed as 
firmly in all these creatures of the fancy as did 
those of the olden times. 

Like all primitive peoples the Micmacs were 
the possessors of many animal stories, which 
often show both keen sense of humour and rare 
worldly wisdom. Ableegumooch, the lazy rab- 
bit, plainly exemplifies the lazy Indian, and he 
is well punished for his fault; while in his 
transformation of character and final retalia- 
tion upon the Otter by his magic, he is repre- 
senting the Indian's belief in the power of the 
will to carry man to greater heights. 

There are other types of stories among the 
legends recorded by Dr. Rand. There are his- 
torical tales which show the irresistible craving 



INTRODUCTION xxi 

of man to idealise, to mingle fiction with his 
fact, to express his love of the heroic and his 
belief in the supernatural. Most curious of all 
among these legends are many fairy tales in 
which the prince, fairy, and ogre of the conven- 
tional nursery tale walk hand in hand with be- 
ings of the forest. These stories have plainly 
come to the Indian in recent times, but in their 
forest garb they are wonderfully interesting, 
and show vividly the genius of the primitive 
thought. 

Wonderful as these products of savage mind 
may seem to one who for the first time discov- 
ers that primitive life is not all physical, but 
is filled with poetry and religion, it seems 
stranger still to realize that the rich and va- 
ried fancies of the Micmacs are but examples 
of many such fruits of the mind of man, which 
have either wholly or in part disappeared and 
have now passed beyond recall. It is sad to 
believe that this is so, not only because the loss 
of anything rare and beautiful that the im- 
agination of man has produced must ever be a 
cause of regret, but also because there seems 
to be in these old tales something that comes 
very near to the heart of the child of our own 
later day — something warm and intimate and 
natural which he feels and claims as his own; 
the love of which, we may believe, shows the 



xxii INTRODUCTION 

kinship of this child of ours with the life of 
the ancient forest. 

*'This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines 
and the hemlocks, 

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indis- 
tinct in the twilight. 

Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and pro- 
phetic, 

Stand like harpers hoar, with heards that rest on 
their hosoms. 

Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neigh- 
houring ocean 

Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail 
of the forest.'' 



CONTENTS 

(Unless otherwise stated, the stories named be- 
low are adapted from Rand's Legends of the Mic- 
macs.) 

WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 

PAGE 

Oochigeaskw the Little Scarred Girl .... 3 

The Deserted Children. Part I 11 

The Deserted Children. Part II 25 

The Beautiful Bride 34 

The Star Wives 42 

Oochigeopch the Scarred Young Brave ... 49 

Mooin the Bear's Child 53 

The Giant Magicians 59 

An Adventure With a Chenoo 66 

The Magical Dancing Doll 77 

The Magical Hair String 91 

The Children and the Loon Magician .... 95 

Mimkudawogoosk the Moosewood Man . . . 103 

The Ice King 110 

Pulowech and the Sea Maiden 113 

How Pulowech Avenged the Sea Maiden . . . 118 

The Giant's Son and the Beautiful Maiden . . 126 

Kitpooseagunow the Avenger 132 

The Forest Maiden 145 

Adapted from Leland's the Algonquin Legends of 
'New England. 



CONTENTS 

ANIMAL STORIES 
The Adventures of Ableegumooch, the Rabbit 

PAGE 

How Ableegumooch Was Punished For His 
Laziness 153 

How Ableegumooch Retaliated Upon the Otter 160 

The Adventures of the Badger 

How the Badger Made Mrs. Bear Blind . . 164 

The Badger and the Birds 167 

The Badger and the Star Wives 171 

How the Culloo Punished the Badger . . . 177 

The Badger and the Rock Magician .... 182 

How the Badger Made the Magical Fire . . 185 

Adapted from Leland and Prince Kuloskap The 
Master and from Leland's the Algonquin Legends 
of New England. 

FAIRY TALES 

The Silly Son 191 

The Prince Who Went Seeking His Sisters . . 205 

The Magical Belt 221 

Coolnajoo the Stupid 229 

The Boy Who Rescued His Brother .... 237 

LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP THE GREAT CHIEF 
How Glooscap Found the Summer .... 245 

Adapted from Leland and Prince Kuloskap The 
Master and from Leland's the Algonquin Legends 
of New England. 

How Glooscap Conquered His Enemies . . . 247 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Return of Glooscap 257 

How Glooscap Transformed the Indian . . . 265 
How Glooscap Defeated the Sorcerers . . . 274 

Adapted from Leland and Prince Kuloskap The 
Master and from Leland's the Algonquin Legends 
of New England. 

How Glooscap Was Conquered by Wasis . . . 278 

Adapted from Leland and Prince Kuloskap The 
Master and from Leland's the Algonquin Legends 
of Neio England. 

How the Indians Sought the Great Chief . . .281 
Glossary 291 



\y 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

The Rev. Dr. Silas Tertius Rand, and 

Two Micmac Indian Boys , . . Frontispiece 

FACINQ 
PAGE 

Cape Split xvi '-^ 

Glooseap Destroying Malsum, the Wolf ... 52 

Blomidon, the Home of Glooseap 142 

Badger Making Magical Fire as the Wolf had 

Directed 186 

Glooseap Watching Bootup . 228 

Glooseap 's Magical Dogs Destroying the Two 

Maiden Sorcerers 252 

Glooseap and Eitpooseagunow Fishing for Whales 262 *" 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 



Glooscap and Other Stories 

OOCHIGEASKW THE LITTLE SCARRED 
GIRL 

IN the olden time there was a large Indian 
village on the shore of a great lake. At one 
end of the village there lived an Indian with his 
three daughters. The mother was dead, and 
the two elder daughters did all the work of the 
wigwam. 

The youngest child was a timid, sickly little 
girl. Her sisters hated her and were very 
cruel to her. When her father was away on 
hunting trips, they would beat her and abuse 
her in every way they could think of. They 
would even burn her with hot ashes and fire 
brands. After a while, the little girl became so 
covered with burns that they left scars all over 
her face and body; and her hair was singed 
close to her skin. 

When her father returned from a hunting 
trip and saw her, he said : 

**Why are you so burned and scarred f But 
she was so afraid of her sisters that she dared 
not tell him. 

**0h, she is determined to play in the hot 

3 



4 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ashes/' the cruel sisters said. **We cannot 
keep her away from them and so she is 
burned. ' ' 

After a while the cruel sisters began calling 
the little girl Oochigeaskiv, Little Scarred One. 
And then all of the Indians about, even her 
father, called her Oochigeashw. So this be- 
came her name — the only name she had — Little 
Scarred One. She had no playmates — for who 
would want to play with such a scarred little 
creature ? 

Little Oochigeaskw was often very lonely. 
She would sit on the shore and look away 
across the water and long for her mother to 
come back to her. She knew that if only her 
mother were with her, all would be changed. 
There would be no cruel sisters: there would 
be no scars and sores : people would not taunt 
her and point their fingers at her: she would 
not be lonely any more. 

But wish as much as she might 'the mother 
never came back to Oochigeaskw, for she was 
dead. 

Now, away at the other end of the village 
there lived a young Indian brave with his sis- 
ter. This brave's name was Team — moose;* 
for his teomul — the one who guarded him and 
gave him magical power — was a moose. Team 

* Pronounced in two syllables, Te-am. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 5 

could make himself invisible to every one but 
his sister. And he knew that when there 
should be an Indian maiden who had the power 
to see him when he was invisible to other peo- 
ple, she would be the one meant for his wife. 
So he sent out word that whatever maiden 
should see him, her would he marry. 

Team was brave and handsome; he had the 
finest lodge in the village ; he caught more game 
than any of the other Indians; so of course, 
every maiden longed to see him, and to be the 
fortunate one. 

They visited his lodge, sometimes going 
alone and sometimes in twos or threes. 
Team's sister would entertain them kindly, 
then toward sunset she would take them to the 
shore of the lake. When the sound of Team's 
paddle could be heard, the sister would ask : 

^'Do you see my brother?" The girls would 
strain their eyes in the direction of the sound, 
but they could never see Team. Sometimes 
one would think that she could mahe believe see 
him, and that they would not find out; so she 
would answer: 

^'Yes, I see him." Then the sister would 
ask: 

*^0f what is his shoulder strap made?" 

Now there were only two things the Indians 
used for shoulder straps. Usually they were 
made of raw-hide, but sometimes they used a 



6 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

withe from an ash tree. So the answer would 
be, ' ' Oh, it is made of raw-hide, ' ' or, " It is made 
of a withe. '^ The sister would then say, **Let 
us return to the lodge.'' 

So try as hard as they might they could not 
see the hunter. 

At last the little scarred girl's two sisters 
thought that they would try their luck. They 
dressed themselves in their prettiest clothes; 
they made long braids of their hair and wound 
them with strings of bright little shells; and 
then they set off for the lodge of Team. But 
they fared no better than the others, although 
the eldest sister said that she could see Team. 

*^0f what is his shoulder strap made?" 
Team's sister quickly asked her. 

^*0f raw-hide," she answered. 

When the three returned to the lodge, the two 
girls stayed and helped prepare the evening 
meal, for they thought, *^We can surely see him 
when he is eating." 

But, although they heard the sound of the 
game dropped to the ground outside the door, 
and although they could see his moccasins as 
soon as his sister touched them, they could not 
see Team. When he ate, as soon as he touched 
the food, it became invisible. 

The maidens stayed all night with Team's 
sister, and then in the morning they returned 
to their wigwam, cross and disappointed, to 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 7 

vent their anger upon the little scarred girl. 
They found that their father had reached home 
while they were away, and that he had brought 
a great store of shells. So they began string- 
ing the wampum. 

Oochigeaskw knew that her sisters had been 
to Team's lodge, and she thought: 

** Perhaps I could see him. Perhaps I could 
see Team, and then I should not have to live 
here with my cruel sisters.*' 

Then she remembered that she had no cloth- 
ing — she was in rags. What should she do! 
She saw a birch tree in its beautiful white cov- 
ering and she said: 

'^I'll make a garment of that." 

So she made herself a skirt and jacket of the 
birch bark. She found a pair of old moccasins 
her father had thrown away, and she soaked 
them in water, and tried to make them fit her 
feet. But they were so large that they reached 
to her knees. 

Then Oochigeaskw went to her sisters, busy 
with the bright little shells, and said: 

**0h, give me some of the pretty shells." 

But they sneered at her and sent her away. 
Again and again she went to them, begging : 

**Do give me some of the pretty little shells! 
Do give me some of the pretty little shells." 

At last they gave her a few, such pretty ones : 
yellow and blue and green and white! 



8 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Oocliigeaskw trimmed the moccasins and 
skirt and coat with the shells, and then she 
wound strings of them about her head. She 
had no beautiful braids to be adorned with 
them, and she was so ashamed. But she 
started out bravely in search of Team, the won- 
derful hunter. 

When her sisters saw her going away they 
cried : 

^^ Where are you going? Come back, you lit- 
tle scarred one ! ' ' 

But Oochigeaskw was afraid of them no 
longer. 

^ ' I will not go back to you, and I am going to 
the lodge of Team, ' ' she called out. 

As she passed through the village, the chil- 
dren threw stones at her, shouting: 

^* Oochigeaskw, Oochigeaskw! Go back! Go 
back!'^ 

Some of the stones struck her and hurt her, 
but she kept on. Even the men and women 
laughed at her, pointing at her and calling : 

* ' Oochigeaskw ! Oh, Oochigeaskw, little 
scarred one ! Go back ! Go back ! ' ' 

But, at last Oochigeaskw reached the lodge of 
Team. The sister greeted her kindly, and at 
sunset the two went down to the shore. Away 
in the distance sounded the faint dip, dip of 
a paddle. The two maidens stood with their 
hands shading their eyes, looking in the direc- 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 9 

tion from which the sound came. At last the 
sister said: 

"Do yon see my brother T' 

Oochigeaskw looked eagerly up the lake, 

*^Yes! I see him!'* she said at length. 

"Of what is his shoulder strap made?'' the 
sister asked. 

Oochigeaskw looked again searchingly. 

'^Whi/, it is made of a rainboiv!'* she cried. 

"Ah, you have seen my brother! Now let 
us hasten to the lodge, that I may prepare you 
to meet him when he comes. ' ' 

The two maidens hurried to the lodge, and 
the sister opened a large chest full of the most 
beautiful clothing Oochigeaskw had ever seen. 
Then the sister prepared to bathe her ; and 
Oochigeaskw hung her head for shame because 
of her scars and bums. But, as soon as the wa- 
ter touched her — such a wonderful thing hap- 
pened! The scarred and burned flesh disap- 
peared, and beautiful fresh skin appeared in its 
place. 

Then the sister began arranging her hair. 
When Oochigeaskw thought of her scorched, 
stubby hair she felt like crying, for every In- 
dian bride prides herself upon her long braids 
of hair; and Oochigeaskw 's hair was burned 
close to her skin. When the sister began to 
brush it, there came fine beautiful, glossy, 
black hair from under the brush, and soon the 



10 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

long braids were bound with the strings of 
bright shells, and Oochigeaskw was arrayed in 
her wedding garments. Then the sister placed 
her in the wife's place next to the door and the 
two waited for the coming of Team. 

At last they heard the game as it fell to the 
ground outside the wigwam door. The skins at 
the doorway were drawn aside, and Team stood 
there. He looked at Oochigeaskw in her wed- 
ding garments, waiting for him in the wife's 
seat — and he smiled down at her. 

^^At last we have met,'' he said to her. 

Oochigeaskw looked up at Team and an- 
swered : 

*^Yes." 

And so they were married. And Oochige- 
askw 's days of sorrow and loneliness were 
brought to an end. 

And kespeadooJcsit — the story ends. 



THE DESERTED CHILDREN 
Part I 

IN the long, long ago, when Indians were as 
animals, and animals were as men, there 
was a great famine and many Indians died. 

In a certain wigwam there lived Pulowech, an 
Indian brave, with his wife and two step-chil- 
dren, a boy and a girl. 

Every day Pulowech went into the forest, in 
search of food for his family. He could find 
so little that very often he went without food 
himself to give the children his share. And 
one day he did not find any game— not even a 
single rabbit. What to do he did not knoiv. 
At last he thought: 

*^I will give them the flesh of my own body 
to eat; for they must not die.^' 

Pulowech had a little magical power, so he 
took some of his own flesh, and pow-woived 
(transformed) it into a rabbit, and carried it 
home. The children and the mother were 
happy over their good meal, and Pulowech felt 
repaid for all the pain he had suffered. 

In a few days Pulowech did this again to give 
11 



12 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

his family food. And this time the wife sus- 
pected what he had done. When he was asleep, 
she looked at his body and she saw the wounds. 

**I will leave him; I will go where I can have 
plenty of food, and a good home,'' the cruel- 
hearted woman said. 

So, after Pulowech had gone into the forest, 
she put on her prettiest clothes and wound 
strings of bright shells through her hair; and 
then she made her eyes look red and sparkling. 
When she was all ready to go, she turned to her 
little boy and girl who were watching her. 

**I am going to pull up the door-post, and go 
down the road under it. You must put the post 
back in its place, and do not tell anyone where 
I have gone." 

Then she drew out the door-post, and stepped 
down into the hole, and disappeared from the 
sight of her children, whom she was leaving 
without a word of farewell. 

She travelled a long way through the earth, 
until, at last, she came to an open space, and 
saw in the distance an Indian village. She hur- 
ried on, and soon came to a wigwam, where lived 
old Mrs. Bear. She went in, and Mrs. Bear 
said to her: 

^'We are very poor here. I think you would 
better go over to the chief's lodge. His son is 
in need of a wife." 

Over to the chief's lodge Mrs. Pulowech hur- 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 13 

ried; and they were so much pleased with her 
that she was soon married to the chief's son. 

The deserted children waited and waited for 
their mother to come back to them, but she did 
not return. Then it grew dark and the poor 
father came home tired, hungry, and with no 
food. 

*^ Where is your mother, my children?" he 
asked them. 

**She has gone away, and we want her to 
come back to us,'' they said. 

*^She has gone away ! Well, I will try to find 
her." And the old man, although so tired and 
faint with hunger, went out into the dark night 
in search of the mother. All night long he was 
gone — and all the next day, and then the chil- 
dren said: 

*^Our father is dead. Let us follow our 
mother." So they drew up the doorpost and 
followed her. They went on and on, along the 
dark road, stumbling at almost every step, they 
were so weak from hunger; but at last they 
reached the wigwam of Mrs. Bear. 

**Have you seen a strange woman with red 
sparkling eyes?" they asked Mrs. Bear. 

**Yes," said Mrs. Bear, ^^she came here, but 
now she is married to the chief's son." 

*^She is our mother," they said. ^'But 
please do not let her know that we are here." 



14 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Mrs. Bear promised them this, and then the 
two children said : 

**When we see her we will pretend that we 
do not know her.*' 

The children were very hungry, but Mrs. 
Bear had no food at all in her wigwam. 

*^I wish I had some food for you/' she said, 
*^but if you will go over to the chief's lodge, 
your mother will surely give you plenty of 
meat." 

So the two little deserted children went over 
to the chief's lodge, and there before them was 
their mother, looking as pretty and happy as if 
she had never done a wrong deed in her life. 
They sat down near the doorway, waiting 
quietly to be spoken to. 

*' Little strangers, are you hungry?" she 
asked. They looked up at her and answered : 

*'We have great hunger. Will you give us 
food?" 

Their mother took some strings of dried meat 
and wrapped them about the children's should- 
ers. 

* ^ There is meat for you ; but you must go to 
another wigwam to cook it," she said. 

The children hastened back to the wigwam 
of Mrs. Bear. Mrs. Bear cooked their food, 
and all feasted upon it. 

Now every day the mother gave the children 
food, and Mrs. Bear allowed them to live with 



WONDER TALES OP THE FOREST 15 

her and little Marten, her grandchild ; and so all 
went well for a time. But before long poor old 
Pulowech came to the village in search of his 
wife. He, as the others had done, entered the 
lodge of Mrs. Bear, because it was the Indian 
custom for a stranger to enter the first lodge he 
came to. The children were glad to see him, 
and gave him food, and told him about their 
mother. 

The mother soon learned that an old man 
was with the strange children at Mrs. Bear's 
lodge. She knew at once that he was her hus- 
band, Pulowech. She went to the chief, pre- 
tending to be very much afraid. 

*'This strange old man who has just come 
here is an evil magician, *' she said. **If you 
allow him to remain here, he will bring a great 
pestilence upon us all. You must have him 
killed, and make a door blanket of his hide.'' 

The chief and all the others believed her, 
and were afraid of this evil magician, too. So 
they hastened to do as she had told them; and 
soon they had made a door blanket of poor old 
Pulowech 's hide. 

Now that she had rid herself of her former 
husband she had next to do away with the chil- 
dren. So presently she said to the chief: 

**My father, those two children who are at 
Mrs. Bear's lodge are bringing sickness and 
famine to the town. Just such a thing hap- 



le GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

pened in the village I came from. Two chil- 
dren came there and people cared for them; 
but they were Boooins who took the form of 
children, and they brought sickness and famine 
upon us all.'' 

**What shall we doT' the chief asked her. 

**We must leave this place, every one of us, 
and make an encampment far away from here. 
The two children must be tied together by their 
heels, back to back, and left hanging from a 
tree.'' 

Again the Indians did as the wicked woman 
directed. They gathered together all their 
possessions and hastened away from the vil- 
lage, while one Indian waited behind to bend 
over a sapling and hang the terrified little 
children upon it. 

But the children were not left long in that hor- 
rible plight, for old Mrs. Bear and Marten had 
waited behind, too. They placed fire against 
the tree, and soon burned it down. Then little 
Marten picked the knots that bound the child- 
ren, with his teeth, until at last they were free. 

*^Now we must hurry away after the others, 
before they miss us," Mrs. Bear said, ^'but 
stay in my wigwam and you will be able to 
find enough game to live upon. You will not 
starve." 

The little girl cried. Her mother had tried 
to kill her, and now she must stay all alone 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 17 

with her brother in this empty village! But 
the boy said to old Mrs. Bear: 

*^Do not forget ns. Pity us poor creatures, 
and when the heavy snows of winter fall, sweep 
them away from your door, and in this way we 
shall be protected.'' 

And Mrs. Bear said to him : 

''Usitabulajoo, I name you, because you have 
been hung by the heels; I shall never forget 
you helpless children. I will always swee^ the 
snow from my door for your sake." 

Then she and Marten hastened after the 
other Indians. 

Usitabulajoo and his sister began their 
search for food. At first all they could obtain 
was mice. These they ate, keeping the hides 
for clothing; and when they had saved enough, 
the sister made Usitabulajoo a warm garment 
of the skins. 

One day Usitabulajoo wished that they might 
have larger game, so the two children stayed 
in the wigwam and asked the Great Spirit to 
send them rabbits. Soon many rabbits ran 
from the forest and flocked to the door, and 
from that time the children had all the meat 
and clothing they could use. 

As time went on, they did not forget old Mrs. 
Bear, whom Usitabulajoo knew was without 
food. He wrapped strips of dried meat tightly 
about an arrow and shot it through the air in 



18 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

the direction the Indians had gone, willing the 
arrow to fall at the door of Mrs. Bear's wig- 
wam. It fell as he had willed; and every day 
Mrs. Bear received an arrow, bearing food, sent 
by Usitabulajoo. 

IJsitabulajoo now wished that he and his sis- 
ter might be grown up at once, they were such 
little children to be in this deserted place all 
alone. So he prayed to the Great Spirit to 
make them into a man and woman at once. 
That night he carried two logs, as large as a 
man, into the wigwam, and stood one at his 
head and the other at his feet, and then he said 
to his sister: 

^^Numees, little sister, in the morning when 
I call you, do not arise, or even open your eyes. 
When you hear me say, ^ The fire is all out, ' do 
not move; but after a long while get up.'' 

The sister did exactly as Usitabulajoo di- 
rected her, and when she opened her eyes she 
saw before her a grown man — Usitabulajoo had 
been transformed into a man by the Great 
Spirit! 

The next night Usitabulajoo stood the logs 
at the head and feet of his sister. In the morn- 
ing she awoke to find herself grown into a 
young woman. 

Usitabulajoo then made larger weapons— ar- 
row heads of flint — and went into the forest 
hunting. One evening he said: 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 19 

*^Numees — little sister — to-morrow, early in 
the morning, I shall go hunting; and I shall re- 
turn at mid-day. When you hear me call 
'Numees, come out and help me!' do not come 
but wait until you have heard me call three 
times. Then you may come out.'' 

The sister waited within the wigwam all the 
morning, and at mid-day she heard a great 
noise and trampling outside. Then she heard 
her brother call : 

'^NumeeSy my sister, come out and help me.'' 
She waited as he had directed until the third 
call came, then she ran out. There before the 
wigwam was a herd of moose and caribou I 

Soon Usitabulajoo had all the hides stretched 
and drying, and the sister had cut the meat into 
thin strips to dry. Some of it they sent on ar- 
rows to Mrs. Bear, who knew then that the chil- 
dren were prospering. 

Besides the hides and the dried meat, there 
was a great store of tallow, which the sister 
made into cakes; and she became very fond 
of rubbing this tallow on her hair, so that 
sometimes her hair looked like a white blanket 
over her shoulders. One day, when Usita- 
bulajoo was in the forest hunting, she wan- 
dered down by the side of the lake. As she 
sat there a great white bear came quietly 
out of the bushes and stood close beside her. 
She knew that this bear was an Indian who pre- 



20 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ferred to appear to her in this form. She sat 
down with him, coming more and more under 
his enchantment; for he was not an ordinary- 
Indian, hut a wicked magician, and he had 
placed the maiden under his evil spell. Before 
she returned to the wigwam the Bear had eaten 
all of the tallow from her hair. 

Day after day, now, she would make her hair 
white with the tallow, and would go to the lake 
to meet the white hear — her lover— who would 
always eat the tallow. 

Soon Usitahulajoo noticed that the tallow 
was disappearing fast, and asked his sister 
about it. 

*^0h, I like to eat it," she said. And all the 
time she was hoping that her lover would take 
his own form again, and come to their wigwam 
so that they could be married. 

One day Usitahulajoo climbed a high hill that 
overlooked the lake near his lodge. To his sur- 
prise he saw his sister — her hair white with 
tallow — come out of the wigwam. He watched 
her, and he saw her take her seat by the lake. 
Soon the great white bear, Mooinwopskw, came 
out of the woods and went to her. Usitahula- 
joo saw him eat the tallow, and after a while go 
back into the forest. That night he asked his 
sister about the bear. 

* ^ Oh, I am obliged to do this ; we should both 
be killed if I did not," she said. The next 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 21 

day TJsitabulajoo went to the lake with his sis- 
ter. 

*^Sit there," he told her, placing her upon a 
rock in such a way that he could shoot the white 
bear without harming her. Then he hid near 

by. 

Very soon they heard the bushes parting, 
and in an instant more the great white bear 
stood before the Indian maiden. He began at 
once eating the tallow, and TJsitabulajoo shot 
a flint-headed arrow at him. The bear, taken 
unawares, could not summon his magical powers 
to his aid. He could not move. The first ar- 
row struck him, but did not kill him. Then 
TJsitabulajoo shot again and again until he had 
struck him with six arrows. Then the monster 
fell over dead. 

They soon had the hide of the bear made into 
a beautiful white rug, and the meat dried in thin 
slices. 

All this time the Indians were settled in their 
new encampment. They had made a three 
days' journey, and at length had reached a 
pleasant spot in a great forest by the ocean. 
They encamped there because the place was be- 
side the water, where they could fish, and in the 
great forest, where they could hunt. But they 
could never catch any fish or game, because 
the Great Spirit was angry with them for their 



22 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

wickedness to the old man and the two little 
children. All they had to eat was the food 
they had brought with them, and starvation 
seemed near. Mrs. Bear and Marten were well 
provided with food every day by the magical 
arrow sent to them by Usitabulajoo, but no one 
knew about this. Mrs. Bear was very careful 
to hide all traces of food in her wigwam. 

One day, Mrs. Crow remembered the two 
children they had left hanging by their heels 
on the tree. She thought that they would make 
a good meal. She stole away from the village 
and flew back to the deserted place. What was 
her surprise, instead of finding two dead little 
creatures hanging from the tree-top, to see a 
full-grown man and woman in a well-kept lodge, 
with plentiful supplies of meat, flaked and dry- 
ing. Mrs. Crow did not stop to ask any ques- 
tions, but at once began eating at the meat. 

The brother and sister gave her all she could 
eat, and placed strings of dried meat about her 
shoulders to carry home. 

^^But see that you tell no one," they said. 
'*0n your way home pick mushrooms and have 
them about your wigwam. If anyone comes in 
and finds your children eating, say that they are 
eating mushrooms.'^ 

Mrs. Crow did as she had been told; and 
whenever she needed food she flew back to 
Usitabulajoo and was supplied with more. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 23 

But one day, she neglected to gather mush- 
rooms, and some Indians entered the wigwam. 
There was the meat in plain sight! 

*'Why did you not give us some of this food, 
when we are starving!'' they demanded. 

''Cah, call, call!" cried Mrs. Crow. ''The 
children whom you tried to murder are well 
and grown up. They have their lodge full of 
dried meat, while you starve.'' 

''Let us all go back to them," the Indian said. 

So that very day they all turned back to the 
deserted village. When they reached the place, 
they found everything just as Mrs. Crow had 
said. 

Mrs. Bear and little Marten were welcomed 
home to their own lodge, where they were given 
all the choice moose and caribou meat that they 
could eat. Their wicked mother came too. 

"Are you not glad to see me, my children? 
Will you not welcome the mother who fed you 
and cared for you when you were babies!" she 
asked. 

But Usitabulajoo said to her: 

"You deserted us for the others, and left us 
alone to die; now, go back to them and share 
with them what they receive." 

Then others came to the wigwam. 

"Give us food, Usitabulajoo," they begged, 
"for we are starving." 

Usitabulajoo gave them dried meat — the meat 



24 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

of the white bear magician; and because the 
magician had been an evil man, the poison of 
his nature had entered into the meat. 

The starving Indians gorged themselves with 
the bear's meat, and then lay down to sleep. 
And while they slept, they all died of the poi- 
soned meat. The wicked mother died with 
them; she was punished for her wickedness. 

Usitabulajoo and his sister gave the wigwam 
with the great stores of dried meat and furs, 
to Mrs. Bear and Marten, and left the place 
forever. 



THE DESERTED CHILDREN 
Part II 

AFTER Usitabulajoo and his sister had left 
their old home they travelled until they 
came to a great forest beside the ocean. Here 
they built a large lodge, and thought they 
would be very happy. Usitabulajoo would go 
into the forest and drive herds of moose and 
caribou into an enclosure near the wigwam, 
where he prepared them for his sister to make 
into flakes of meat. All went well for a time 
but enemies were near, all unknown to the 
brother and sister. 

On the other side of the forest was a large 
Indian village. The young braves of the vil- 
lage soon discovered that the wild animals were 
being lured away by someone with magical 
power, who must be captured, or there would 
be a famine in their village. So they started 
out in search of the strange hunter; and soon 
they came upon the lonely lodge of Usitabula- 
joo. They entered the wigwam, planning to 
kill him; but Usitabulajoo received them so 
kindly and entertained them so royally, that 

25 



26 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

they felt their weakness beside his strength, and 
left without trjdng to do him any harm. 

But their moose and caribou still continued 
to be lured away, and soon they called a council 
to decide what should be done. At the council 
there was an old man who was himself pos- 
sessed of a little magical power. 

*^You cannot kill this Indian brave," he said, 
**for he has magical power. He is a Boooin, 
All you can do is to pit magic against magic. 
But follow closely my instructions and you will 
soon have him in your power. First, secure a 
dragon's horn; it has magical power. If you 
can succeed in placing this in his hair, it 
will fasten itself so securely that it cannot be 
taken out ; and at once it will grow up and graft 
itself upon a tree. In this way your enemy 
will be made fast. So let each one of you take 
a horn for himself; then while you are eating, 
take them out and put them on— after that, of- 
fer the Booom the magical horn. If he does 
not suspect you, he will at once put it on — 
and then you will never more be disturbed by 
him." 

Soon after this, six young Indian braves 
started out for the lodge of Usitabulajoo, with 
the horns concealed under their garments. 
Usitabulajoo and his sister made a feast for 
them; and while they were eating, they did as 
the old man had told them. They took out their 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 27 

horns and carefully placed them in their hair, 
Usitabulajoo watched them with interest, and 
when they offered him one to put on, he was 
eager to take it. 

But his sister had taken alarm. 

*^Do not touch the horn; it will be your 
death,'' she whispered. 

But Usitabulajoo was suddenly possessed 
with the desire to do as the others did, so he 
whispered back, ^'Numees, my sister, I cannot 
help it. What my comrades do, I shall cer- 
tainly do." 

He took the horn and fastened it in his hair 
as the others had done. Suddenly he felt him- 
self fastened to it. He tried to take it from his 
hair; but it could not be moved. Then he saw 
that it had pierced through the top of the wig- 
wam and had wound itself about a tree outside. 
XJsitabulajoo was a prisoner. 

The braves went away exultingly, leaving the 
sister trying to free her brother. The horn 
was so hard that she could not make a scratch 
upon it. But, at last, she discovered that a 
clam shell would mark it; so her days were 
spent in digging clams and working hour after 
hour, sawing at the horn with the shells. 

There came a day when the sister found that 
she had dug all the clams near the shore. She 
waited until low tide, and then she went sadly 
to the water. She dug her basket full of clams 



28 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

and then sat down near the shore to rest. Soon 
she was fast asleep. 

Out in the deep water Bootnp, a great whale, 
had been watching her, and he became so in- 
terested in her that he wanted her for his wife. 
"When he saw her asleep he swam to the shore, 
and gently placed her on his back, and set out 
for his home — a large island in the middle of 
the ocean. 

When the sister awoke she found herself be- 
ing carried across the sea. She thought of her 
brother, a prisoner in his wigwam, but she could 
not help him now; she was a prisoner herself. 

By and by the whale reached the island, and 
as soon as he touched the shore he was changed 
into a man. He took the maiden to his lodge, 
where his father and mother and sister lived. 
They were kind to her, and soon she consented 
to remain there as Bootup's wife, and she was 
called Bootupskw (Mrs. Bootup). 

Now if it had not been for the thought of her 
brother waiting for her to free him, she would 
have been happy ; for as time passed she had a 
baby boy to care for. But whenever she was 
alone she sorrowed for Usitabulajoo. 

One day Bootupskw 's sister-in-law found her 
weeping. 

**Why are you mourning so when you are 
alone f she asked. 

**It is for my brother I sorrow," Bootupskw 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 29 

answered. And then she told the sister-in-law 
all that had happened. "When she had finished, 
Bootup's sister said: 

**I will help you rescue your brother. There 
is but one thing that will break the dragon's 
horn. That is red ochre. Teach the baby to 
cry for red ochre, and his father will get it for 
him to quiet him. So Bootupskw taught the 
baby to cry: 

^'Weukujuh! Weukujuli! Eed ochre, red 
ochre. ' ' 

That night, when Bootup came home, the baby 
kept crying : 

' ' Weukujuh I Weukujuli ! ' ' 

**What can he want of red ochre?'' the father 
asked. But as the baby continued crying 
'* Weukujuh/' Bootup at length said: 

*^Baby, baby, only stop the cry and I will get 
it for you to-morrow." Then the baby stopped 
crying, and the next day Bootup went to the 
shore. Soon he was a whale, rushing through 
the waters in search of red ochre. 

After a few days Bootup 's sister said: 

**Now we must teach baby to cry for the 
crimson cloud in the sunset. This is so far 
away that while Bootup has gone to get it, we 
can make our escape to your brother. ' ' 

So one night, when Bootup came home, the 
baby met him with a cry for the crimson cloud 
in the sunset. 



30 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*'But that is a far journey, my child," Bootup 
said. ^'I must start early in the morning for 
that.'^ 

Early the next morning, Bootup, suspecting 
nothing, started upon his long journey, in 
search of the crimson cloud in the west at sun- 
set. When he was far away, the women took the 
baby and hurried to the canoe. All day long 
they worked at the paddles, keeping watch of 
the sun. They knew that Bootup would return 
soon after sunset, and would pursue them when 
he discovered that they were gone. As the af- 
ternoon drew to a close, the women strained at 
the paddles to make the canoe go faster. They 
were so tired, sometimes it seemed that they 
could go no further. At last, however, they 
came in sight of Usitabulajoo's lodge. But at 
the same time, away off in the distance they 
spied Bootup pursuing them. Then he disap- 
peared under the water, and when he came to the 
surface again for air he was much nearer them. 
What should they do? Ah! there were the 
baby's toys. They would throw them out upon 
the water. Bootupskw scattered the toys about, 
and the canoe pushed on. 

When Bootup reached his baby's toys, he 
swam around and around them, uttering loud 
cr}^s. Then down into the water he sank in 
pursuit of the runaways. 

Then Bootupskw threw out the baby's cradle 



iWONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 31 

and his moccasins; when Bootup came upon 
these he swam about them, staying longer here 
than he did with the toys. 

Now they had almost reached the shore, 
when Bootup arose to the surface close upon 
them. Bootupskw tore off the baby's clothing, 
and threw the little pieces out on the water, and 
as the father paused by these, the women 
landed and pushed the canoe off in the water. 

Bootup rushed on, but he was too late. He 
did not have the power to pursue them on this 
strange shore. He came close to the land, and 
called out to his wife : 

' * Give me back the child ! Only give me back 
the child!" 

But the women hurried away, and Bootup, 
in his rage, seized the canoe, and crushed it be- 
tween his jaws. 

Bootupskw now set to work and quickly built 
a shelter for the baby and her sister-in-law, 
and when she had finished it, she said : 

^*I will go to my brother alone. You wait 
here with the baby.'' She ran to the wigwam, 
where she found Usitabulajoo still living, for 
lie was within reach of the dried meats. 

As soon as Bootupskw had made a circle of 
red ochre about the dragon's horn, it snapped, 
and at last Usitabulajoo was free, but he was 
almost too weak to stand. But after Boot- 
upskw had bathed him and dressed him, he was 



32 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

able to walk; and soon he could go to the wig- 
wam his sister had built. When he entered 
the lodge and saw Bootup's sister, he said to 
her: 

^^You have saved my life." 

Now they all lived happily together, and at 
length Usitabulajoo asked the sister to stay 
and be his wife. 

*^I will be your wife, even if it be for thirty 
years," she replied, ^4f you will keep far from 
the salt water. But if you ever encamp near 
the sea, then I am free from my vow, and I 
will return to my own land." 

Usitabulajoo was quite ready to make this 
promise, and they moved away to a strange 
country far from the ocean. There a baby boy 
came to them, and the two boys grew up to- 
gether very happily. 

But there came a time when Usitabulajoo 
moved his lodge; and on their journey a great 
storm came upon them, and they lost their way 
in the darkness. Usitabulajoo built a shelter 
where they could rest for the night, and wait 
for the storm to pass over. 

Early in the morning the wife awoke and 
thought she would go out and see what the 
country about was like. As she stood in the 
doorway of the wig^wam she saw stretching be- 
fore her the great blue ocean! 

At once her love for the sea took possession 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 33 

of her. She must go back to her old home. 
Without waking the others, she took the two 
boys, still sleeping, and ran with them down to 
the shore, and plunged into the water. 

Soon Usitabulajoo awoke, and when he found 
that his wife and the two children were gone, 
he called his sister, and together they ran to 
the shore. There they saw the wife and the 
two children sporting like whales far out in the 
water. 

^ * You have broken your vow to me, Usitabula- 
joo," she called, ^^so I am freed from my prom- 
ise. I return to my own land.'' Then they 
saw Bootup come speeding toward them from 
far away and carry the three runaways across 
the ocean. 

iUsitabulajoo and Bootupskw watched them, 
until at last they seemed like a mere speck in 
the water — and until that, too, was lost in the 
distance. Day after day the brother and sis- 
ter lingered by the shore, looking across the 
sea for a glimpse of their loved ones. But 
they never saw them again. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE 

IN the ancient times there lived in the forest 
an old Indian and his wife, with their only 
son. One day, in the winter, the son was out 
hunting, and he shot a crow with his arrow. 
The snow was stained and reddened with the 
blood, and as the young man stood looking at 
the bright colours he thought: 

*^ Would that I could find a maiden, whose 
hair is as black and glossy as this crowds wing; 
whose skin is as white as the pure snow, and 
whose cheeks are as crimson as the blood that 
stains the snow ! I would marry such a maiden, 
could I find one.'' 

When he reached home, he told his mother 
all that had been passing through his mind. 

**I know that there is such a maiden,'' said 
the mother, *^but her home is very far away; 
it is too far for a winter's travel, but when 
summer comes you may seek her for your wife." 

The son resolved to do this, as soon as the 
winter should have passed; but he became so 
busy with his hunting, and with affairs at home, 
that when winter was over he had forgotten 
about his wish for a beautiful bride. 

34 



.WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 35 

One day in the summer he was in the forest 
hunting for game, when he met a well-dressed 
man, who spoke to him kindly, and asked him 
what he was doing. 

^^I am hunting for venison, '^ the young man 
answered. 

^'Very well,'' said the stranger, ^'but what 
has become of the plan you thought of so much 
in the winter?" 

At first the young man was puzzled to know 
what the stranger could mean, but at last he 
remembered the dead crow, and the wish that 
had passed through his mind. He told the 
stranger what his mother had said. 

*'I know very well where the beautiful 
maiden lives," said the stranger, ^*and I can 
help you find her and win her." The stranger 
had supernatural power. He was a Megumoo- 
wesoo. The young man did not know this, but 
he was glad to have a friend who would help 
him in his adventure. So he went back to the 
wigwam and told his parents what had hap- 
pened, and prepared for the journey. 

When everything was ready, the two men 
started off together. They travelled several 
days, until they reached the shore of a large 
lake. On the shore was a wigwam. When 
they went in they found an old man who re- 
ceived them kindly, and wished to know where 
they were going. 



36 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Now this old man was the Great Chief, 
Glooscap himself. But this, the young man did 
not know. Glooscap seemed interested in their 
adventure, and told them how they would bet- 
ter go. 

^^You must cross the lake, and start on your 
journey through the forest on the other shore," 
he said. 

They had no canoe, so Glooscap offered to 
loan them his. He went down to the shore 
with them, and told them to step upon a small 
island covered with trees and rocks. 

^^This is my canoe,'' he said. 

The two travellers stepped from the shore, 
and as soon as they were on the island, it moved 
off by magic and glided over the smooth sur- 
face of the lake without sail, or oar, or rudder, 
and took them straight to the other shore. 
They landed and moored their boat, and started 
on their long journey through the forest. 
They had not gone far, when they came upon 
a great strong man who was chopping logs. 
Seeing no way of carrying the logs to the shore 
they asked the man how he managed. 

* ' I take them upon my back, ' ' he said. * ^ But 
where are you going?" he asked. When they 
told him, the Log Carrier said: 

**I should like to go along with you, too." 

They were pleased to have his company, so 
the three journeyed on together. Soon they 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 37 

met another man. He was hopping along on one 
foot, with the other tied close up to his body. 

^^Why is your leg tied in such a fashion T' 
asked the Megumoowesoo. 

**To keep from running too fast," he replied. 
**Why, if I were to untie my leg, I should go 
so fast that I should run around the whole 
world in just four minutes." 

**Let us see you run," the travellers said. 
So the Swift Kunner untied his leg and was off 
like a flash. True enough, at the end of four 
minutes back he came from the other direction. 

The Swift Kunner then asked: 

** Where are all of you going?" And when 
they told him he asked whether he might not 
go along with them. 

^^Yes, we shall be glad to have you," the 
Megumoowesoo said. ^^You may be of great 
help to our young friend." So all four travel- 
led on together. 

When they had gone a little way further, 
they came upon a man, whose nostrils were 
closely covered. 

''What is the meaning of this?" the trav- 
ellers asked: 

"I am so powerful," he said, "that if my 
nostrils were not covered, I could not hold back 
the storm and the whirlwind." 

"Let us see your power," they said. The 
stranger uncovered his nostrils, and at once 



38 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

the great winds rushed out, — tearing up the 
earth — turning over great rocks, and crushing 
the trees that stood in their path! 

This man also asked where the travellers 
were going, and when he heard about their ad- 
venture, he wished to go along with them. 

*^I may be of some help to you,'* he said. 
The men were glad to have his company, so 
the five Indians went on together. 

At last they came to a wide, beautiful river, 
winding through a valley near a high mountain. 
At the foot of the mountain was a great bluff, 
and between the bluff and the river they found 
a large Indian town. Here the Beautiful 
Maiden they were seeking lived; but it was a 
difficult, dangerous task to win her, they were 
told; many suitors had already lost their lives 
in the games and contests they must enter. 

After several days of feasting, the chief set 
a time for the contests to begin. The winner 
should have the Beautiful Maiden for his wife. 
First, the suitors must dance. 

The Megumoowesoo entered the lists for his 
friend, and because of his supernatural power, 
easily won this first contest. 

After this, they held a running contest. The 
Swift Runner untied his leg and entered the 
contest with a runner, who was also obliged 
to tie a leg because he was such a swift run- 
ner. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 39 

The two runners started for a race around 
the globe. In four minutes the Swift Runner, 
who had entered the lists for his friend, re- 
turned. He had won this race. 

Then the Chief proposed contests to show 
who was the strongest among the suitors. 
There were contests of lifting and hurling 
rocks, wrestling and pulling at one another. 
In all of these games the Log Carrier, who had 
been the first to join the travellers, came out 
victor. 

There was still another contest to be held. 
The suitors must coast down the mountain and 
leap over the cliff with their sleds. The Me- 
gumoowesoo volunteered to coast with his 
friend. Two other Indians, who were mighty 
magicians, went on another sled. This was 
such a dangerous race that everyone was very 
much excited. The whole village turned out to 
see the race. Down the steep mountain side 
the sleds dashed! When the Megumoowesoo 
reached the top of the cliff, he gave a great 
shout, and down over the cliff they dashed to 
the ground, and sped on through the village 
and on to the river. 

The other Indians, although they had so much 
magical power, did not have enough to carry 
them safely over the cliff; so they were killed. 

After this contest, the Chief declared that 
the strangers had won the Beautiful Bride, and 



40 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

so they held a great wedding feast. Then the 
wedding party set out for home. 

They had not gone very far, when a terrible 
roaring was heard, and then the trees behind 
them were torn np by their roots. They saw 
that the magicians in the village of the Beauti- 
ful Bride had conjured up a whirlwind to de- 
stroy them. Then the Hurricane Man uncov- 
ered his nostrils and let loose a terrible storm. 
Whirlwind met whirlwind. The tempest sent 
back by the traveller was so much stronger than 
the other, that it rushed on, carrying back the 
other storm with it, and when it reached the 
village, it swept over it, completely destroying 
it. 

The wedding party finished their journey 
without meeting any other danger. When the 
Hurricane Man reached his home, he dropped 
from the party. Then the Swift Eunner 
stopped at his home, and the Log Carrier 
stopped at his home. The Megumoowesoo, the 
young man and the Beautiful Bride travelled 
on through the forest, and at last came to 
the shore where the magical canoe was hidden. 
They stepped upon the island and it carried 
them across the broad lake to the home of the 
Great Chief. 

The Megumoowesoo told the story of their 
adventures and Glooscap listened to every word 
with kindly interest. After they had been en- 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 41 

tertained by him, they set out upon their jour- 
ney again, and when they were in the forest, 
the Megmnoowesoo quietly slipped away, leav- 
ing the young man and the Beautiful Bride to 
continue their journey alone. 

At last the two reached their home, where 
the old Indians were eagerly waiting to wel- 
come the Beautiful Bride. 

And 'kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



THE STAE WIVES 

ONCE, long ago, there lived in the forest 
a widow with her two children, who were 
very beautiful maidens. They belonged to the 
family of Weasels. Some of the time they were 
Indians and some of the time they were ani- 
mals. 

One day their mother sent them in search of 
groundnuts. The maidens wandered farther 
and farther into the forest, until it began to 
grow dark. Then they turned to go home; 
but go which ever way they might, they could 
not find the trail! 

They wandered about until, at last, they 
were so weary that they could go no farther, 
and they lay down in the forest, under the 
open sky, to sleep. 

There were no clouds in the sky, and the 
stars were shining. The maidens looked up 
at the stars, and they began to imagine that 
the stars were the eyes of lovers, looking down 
upon them. 

^' Which of those would you choose for a 
husband?" the younger sister asked. **One 
with small eyes, or one with large eyes?" 

42 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 43 

**I like large stars better/' the older sister 
answered. **I would choose that big fellow 
with the large, bright eyes/' 

*^And I like little stars better," said the 
younger. *^I would choose a husband with 
little, twinkling eyes.'' 

After a while they fell asleep, and when they 
awoke in the morning, and the older sister 
stretched out her arm, which had been cramped 
in her sleep, she heard some one say *'Take 
care, you will upset my dish of war paint." 

She opened her eyes, and lo ! standing by her, 
she saw a noble fellow, his face adorned like 
an Indian chief's. He had great, shining eyes, 
which looked down at her kindly. It was the 
very husband of her choice. He had the very 
eyes she had seen as stars in the sky the night 
before ! 

And then the younger sister stretched out 
her arm, and she heard a low, squeaking voice 
say, ^*Take care! You will upset my dish of 
eye-water." 

She looked up, and lo! by her side was the 
man of her choice, with the little red eyes she 
had seen the night before. But their owner 
was a dwarfish, little old man with small, red, 
sore eyes. There was no help for it. What 
she had chosen she must have I 

Now these husbands were hunters, and they 
were often away in the forest for whole days 



44 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

together. Before they went away they always 
said, ^^Take care of the wigwams while we are 
away and do just as you please — except for 
one thing. On no account touch that large 
stone near the pine tree, for, if you do, great 
trouble will come upon you. ' ' 

For a time the maidens were careful to obey 
their husbands, and they did not go near the 
stone. But at last they began to wonder and 
wonder what could he under that stone. Every 
day they grew more eager to know. The older 
sister was more prudent and firm than the 
younger and would never touch the stone; but 
the younger at last said, ^^I shall lift that stone, 
and peep underneath, no matter what comes of 
it.'' 

So, one day, when the two hunters were in 
the forest, the younger sister went to the stone, 
and lifted it — and looked underneath. She 
started back with a scream at the sight. For 
she found that they ivere up above the sky! 
Their husbands had carried them up into the 
star world while they slept. 

The stone covered a hole like a trap door; 
far below she saw the world upon which she 
had once lived, and the village, and the home 
of her childhood. 

The older sister heard the scream, and ran 
to the stone. She, too, looked down through 
the hole in the roof of the world. Then they 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 45 

both began to cry. They cried and sobbed until 
their eyes were red with weeping. 

That evening, when the husbands came home, 
the sisters tried to conceal what they had done ; 
but in vain. 

^^What has been your trouble to-day T' the 
husbands asked. *^What have you been crying 
about r' 

*^We have had no trouble, and we have not 
been crying at all/' they said, afraid to tell 
the truth. 

*^But surely you have," said the husbands. 
**And you have been looking down through 
the trap-door. You are lonely up here, 
and you long to get away." They said this 
very kindly. 

*^It is true," the sisters said, at last, *^we 
looked under the stone to-day, and we long to 
return to our own world." 

**Very well," said the husbands, **you may 
go back if you wish. To-night, when you lie 
down to sleep, you must follow our directions; 
and in the morning, you will find yourselves 
on the spot in the forest where you lay when 
you invited us to become your husbands." 

Now all they had to do was to fall asleep; 
but they must not be in haste to uncover their 
faces, or to open their eyes. 

''Wait until you hear a chickadee sing," the 
husbands said; **and even then you must not 



46 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

open your eyes. Wait a little longer, until you 
hear the red squirrel sing; and still you must 
wait. Keep your faces covered, and your eyes 
closed, until you hear the striped squirrel sing. 
Then uncover your heads and open your eyes, 
and you will find yourselves in your own world 
again.'' 

At night, the sisters lay down and went to 
sleep as they were told, and in the morning they 
were awakened hy the sound of the chickadee. 
The younger sister wished to throw off the 
blanket and spring up, but the older sister held 
her back. 

*^Wait! Wait,'' she said, ''until we hear 
the red squirrel, and even then we must wait 
until we hear the striped squirrel sing." 

So the younger sister lay back, until she 
heard the red squirrel. And then, always im- 
patient and rash, she sprang up at the sound 
and threw off their blanket. 

The sun had risen. They were back in their 
native forest; but alas! They were punished 
for their impatience. They were lodged in the 
top of a tall pine tree, and they found them- 
selves changed into little Weasels. 

''What shall we do? How shall we get down 
from the tree?" the elder sister cried. 

"Oh, that will be easy enough," the younger 
sister said. "We will ask the first one who 
comes by to take us down and we will promise 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 47 

that we will marry him. And when we are 
once upon the ground, we will run away. ' * 

The first who passed by was Team, the 
Moose. 

**Our elder brother/' the sisters called down 
to him. *'Set us free! Take us dowTi! We 
will go home with you, and be your wives." 

Team looked up, and saw the pretty white 
forms of the Weasel girls, but he only sneered 
at them. 

**Why, I am already married," he called 
back to them. *^I was married last autumn." 
And then he went along on his journey through 
the forest. 

Then after a long while, Mooin, a great brown 
Bear, came by. 

**0h, our elder brother," the Weasels cried; 
**set us free I Take us down ! We will go home 
with you and be your wives." Mooin looked 
up and saw the Weasel girls upon the tree-top. 

**But I do not need a wife," he said. ^*I 
was married in the spring," and he growled 
and walked on. 

Then came Ahistanaooch, the Marten, and 
the Weasel sisters called to Mm. 

But Marten did not care to help them either. 

*^0h, I was married in the early spring," he 
called to them, and scampered off, leaving the 
Weasel girls still high up in the pine tree. 

All day long the Weasel girls had been in 



48 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

the pine tree, waiting for some one to rescue 
them, and now it was almost night. And then, 
Kekwajoo, the Badger, the mischief maker, 
came by, in search of mischief as nsual. And 
when the Weasel girls begged him to help them 
down, he thought he could surely play some 
prank upon them. So he helped them down. 
He carried the younger sister first; but when 
he took the elder sister down, she said, ^* Would 
you please go back for my hair-string? I prize 
it very much." 

The Badger very willingly went back for the 
hair-string, which he found knotted about the 
tree, — and while he was untying it, the Weasel 
girls made their escape, and ran away home. 

Never again did the Weasel girls wish to be 
star wives! 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



OOCHIGEOPCH— THE SCAERED YOUNG 
BRAVE 

FAR away in the forest there lived two old 
Indians with their son. He was their 
only child. 

When the boy had grown to be a young 
brave, the mother said to him one day, **My 
son, it is lonely here, and I am growing old; 
and soon I shall not be able to prepare the 
meat in flakes for drying. Soon I can no 
longer make yonr moccasins or your blankets 
for you. Then we shall need younger hands 
than mine in our lodge. So, my son, I would 
have a daughter with me in the wigwam. Seek 
out a maiden for your wife, and bring her to 
us in the forest, and then will our hearts be 
glad.'' 

And the young brave said, ^^Tliat is well, my 
mother, but where shall I journey to find such 
a maiden r' 

The mother prepared his clothing for him, 
and told him which way to go. 

** Follow the river up stream until you come 
to a small Indian village. You will not find the 
maiden there, but they will tell you the way." 

49 



50 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The young man set out as his mother had told 
him. When he reached the small village, he 
entered one of the humblest lodges. There he 
found an old woman and a little boy. They 
welcomed him, and the little boy seemed to be 
very happy in waiting upon him. The old 
woman guessed what his errand was. 

*^ There are two of our young braves who 
like adventures. I will speak to them, and 
one of them will be your guide,'* she said. 

The next day the young brave, with the guide, 
started upon his journey. They passed an In- 
dian village, and after travelling a long, long 
way, they came to another village. This was a 
very large encampment. The young brave said, 
**Here I will seek a wife." 

Now this young man was so brave and strong 
that he had gained a little magical power; so, 
before he entered the village, he transformed 
himself into an awkward, deformed man, with 
a bruised, scarred face. And instead of his 
embroidered robes, he wore the meanest cloth- 
ing. 

The two entered the village, and went to the 
poorest and plainest lodge. Here lived an old 
grandmother, with her little boy. Marten. The 
guide told the old woman their errand. 

*^My friend is lonely,'' he said. 

The old grandmother saw at once that this 
poor looking Indian had assumed that appear- 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 51 

ance to test the maidens, so she answered them, 
^'The chief has many beautiful daughters. I 
will talk with him. ' ' 

When she told the chief about this Indian, 
who had come there, seeking a wife, and 
that he was so scarred and sore, and that he 
did not look at all like a brave young warrior, 
the chief said at once, *' Bring the young brave 
hither, and let him take the choice of my 
daughters.'' For the old chief, too, had a 
touch of magical power, and he at once knew 
that this Indian was not what he seemed to 
be. 

The beautiful daughters seated themselves 
in a circle about the wigwam, and waited for 
the young brave to enter, and choose one of them 
for his wdfe. As he entered the wigwam, he 
let the branches of the doorway brush against 
his face and tear the scars and sores. When 
the beautiful maidens saw this stumbling crea- 
ture, with his face bleeding, they screamed and 
ran. Just one remained on her mat. She 
was the youngest and best of all the chief's 
daughters. The young man sat down beside 
her. 

They were married that very day, and the 
maiden could not keep back her tears. 

**Do not cry, my child," the old chief said. 
* ^ You will soon find that you have no reason to 
be sorrowful." 



52 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

But all the older sisters laughed and taunted 
her. 

*^What a husband!'* they said. **He is all 
scars and sores! Who would have an Oochi- 
geopch — a scarred man — for a husband !*' 

But the youngest daughter remembered the 
words of the father, and she waited patiently 
for the time to come when she would have no 
need for sorrow. 

Early in the morning, when she opened her 
eyes, she saw that something wonderful had 
happened, for there before her, dressed in beau- 
tiful, embroidered robes, was the handsomest 
young brave she had ever seen. 

' ' Why ! Who is this ? ' ' she cried. 

*^This is the very same person you married 
yesterday, my daughter," the mother said. 

Oh, how delighted she was ! And how angry 
and mortified her older sisters were! 

And then the old chief made a great festival, 
and there were feasts and games, and after 
these were over, the two young people set out 
for the lodge in the far-away forest. When 
they reached the place, the old father and the 
mother were waiting to welcome them. *^Our 
children, you have made our hearts glad, ' ' they 
said: 

And Jcespeadoohsit — the story ends. 







By permission, copyright by Hvuohtun, MilHin iL- Co. 

Glooscap destroying ^Nlalsuin the wolf. The Indians say 
that Glooscap was one of twins. The younger, — Malsum 
(who typifies the evil principle as Glooscap does the 
good) killed his mother at his birth, then later tried to 
kill Glooscap so that he might rule the world. But he 
could not find what would accomplish this, until the 
Beavers told him that a flowering rush had the power. 
But, before ^Nlalsum could carry out his design, Glooscap 
killed him — some say with a handful of bird's down and 
others say with a flag root. In tliis picture Glooscap is 
represented as using a flag-root. Good overcame evil, the 
Indians believe, and good rules the world. 



MOOIN THE BEAR'S CHILD 

LONG, long ago there lived in an Indian vil- 
lage a little orphan boy. His father 
and mother died when he was a baby, and he 
had no brothers or sisters, so he was all alone. 

The little orphan boy had no home and no 
one to care for him. He lived with one family 
for a little while, — and then he went to another 
wigwam and stayed there for a few days, and 
then to another and another, and this was the 
way he lived. 

No one wished to adopt him; he was just a 
little wanderer, going from one lodge to another 
for shelter. 

One day in the antnmn, the little orphan boy 
went into the forest alone to pick berries. He 
was very hungry, and as he wandered from one 
bush to another, to pick the berries and eat 
them, he did not notice how far into the forest 
he was going. At last he turned to go back, 
and he did not know which path to take. 

He followed one trail, thinking that it might 
lead him to some part of the forest he had been 
in before ; but everything was new and strange 

53 



54 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

to him. He tried another path and another; 
but go where he would, he could not find his 
way out of the forest. He was lost. 

The child wandered on and on, and after 
awhile it grew dark, and he was tired and lonely 
— for he was only five years old. He wandered 
on in the dark, and at last he saw a light glim- 
mering through the trees. He followed the 
gleam until he reached the light. 

The light came from a wigwam, and he heard 
people talking inside. He went to the doorway 
and saw a woman sitting in the wife's place; 
and farther on, before the fire, were two little 
boys. The woman looked up at him kindly, and 
said, * ^ Enter, my child. Why are you out in the 
cold? Where is your home?" 

**I was wandering in the forest in search of 
berries to eat; for I had great hunger,'' said 
the child. **And now I am lost." 

**But where is your home, my child?" the 
woman asked. 

* * Ah ! I have no home, ' ' the orphan boy said, 
shaking his head. 

Then the woman gave him food, and while he 
ate of it, sitting beside the little boys, the 
woman said, **You say that you have no home, 
my child? Then stay here and be my child." 

So the little orphan boy stayed there in the 
forest in his new home, and he was happy all 
the day long. He could not remember anyone 's 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 55 

being so kind to him before, and tbis was the 
first time anyone bad been glad to see bim. 

Now as tbe orpban boy bad no bome in tbe 
Indian village wbere be bad lived, tbere was no 
one to notice tbat be was not witb tbem as 
usual. But after a week, some one happened to 
remember tbat be bad not seen tbe little orpban 
boy. 

**Have you seen tbe little orpban boy to- 
day?'' be asked. 

**No," every one answered. ^^ Wbere can be 
ber' 

But nobody bad seen bim. Tben they 
searched in tbe forest for bim; but they could 
not find bim. 

'^Ab!'* they said, *^he is lost." And they 
went back to their village and forgot all about 
the little orpban boy. 

That night, when tbe little child followed the 
gleam and found the light in the wigwam, he 
did not know that the kind people were a family 
of bears. He could understand all they said, 
and so be did not realise that they were not 
Indians like himself. All winter long they had 
their bome together. The bear had a good 
supply of dried meat and berries, and the child 
enjoyed tbe food witb them. 

At last spring came. The ice melted from the 
rivers and streams; and tben tbe smelts gath- 



56 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ered in them to make homes there for a little 
while. 

The Indians were on the watch to catch these 
smelts, and the bears were too. The Indians 
knew that the bears fished for smelts at this 
time, so they watched for bears as well as for 
smelts. 

One day a hunter was looking for bear tracks, 
and he found the tracks of an old bear and two 
cubs ; and with these tracks, he saw marks like 
those made by the naked feet of a little child. 

*^This is a queer looking bear's track," he 
thought. ** There is something remarkable 
about this, I must watch. ' ' 

So the next day at sundown, when the smelts 
would be most abundant, the man watched near 
the tracks for the bears. Presently he heard 
some one coming toward him, talking very 
busily as he came. Soon he saw an old mother 
bear, leading the way ; and behind her were two 
cubs and a small, naked boy about ^ve years old. 

The boy and the cubs were talking together. 
The hunter could hear and understand every 
word the little boy said ; but the talk of the little 
bears sounded to him like the murmur of young 
bears only. 

The hunter watched them. He saw the old 
bear take a net, and hold it in the stream, while 
the little boy went further down stream, and 
drove the smelts into the net. And then the 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 57 

bear would empty the fish upon the bank, and go 
back for another supply. 

After they had gone away, the hunter went 
back to his home, and told the people about this 
strange sight. 

*'But who is this child T' he asked. 

**0h, it must be the little orphan boy, who was 
lost last fall,'^ they said. **We must rescue 
him. We will watch with you to-morrow at 
sunset and capture him.'* 

The next day, before the old bear and the 
little ones left their home, the old bear said to 
the little child, *^My child, the hunters go to 
the stream for fish, and there they often capture 
those of my people. If they should take you 
with them again, will you not beg of them not 
to kill me r' 

^^But how will they know you from all the 
others!'' the little boy asked. 

^' Climb a high tree, and look around," she 
said. ^^You will see smoke rising here and 
there in all directions. In some places there 
will be more smoke than in others; then you 
will know that the thicker smoke comes from the 
homes where the mother is cooking for the little 
ones. These are the homes that your people 
should spare." 

The child promised that he would do this, if 
he should ever be with his people again. Then 
they started out to fish for smelts. 



58 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

When they were busy at their work, the hunt- 
ers surrounded them. They did not try to cap- 
ture the bears, but they made a circle about the 
boy, drawing nearer and nearer, until they 
seized him, and held him fast. 

The child screamed and scratched and bit just 
like a little bear, and was so wild and fierce that 
they could hardly hold him. They carried him 
back to the village where he had lived, and the 
people said, *^Yes, he is the little orphan boy 
who had no home." 

And then an old grandmother took him by 
the hand. ^* Little lonely one,'' she said, **you 
shall be alone no longer. You belong to me. 
Truly I should be as willing to show you kind- 
ness as was a bear of the forest.'' 

And so the little orphan boy belonged to some- 
body from that day. And then all the hunters 
declared that from that day the lives of the 
mother bears should be spared. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



THE GIANT MAGICIANS 

ONCE, long ago, there lived by the sea, far 
away from other people, an Indian and 
his wife. They had many children, and they 
were very poor. 

One day, the man and his wife went out in 
their canoe far from land. There came np a 
quick fog, and they were lost. By and by, 
through the fog, they heard a noise as of pad- 
dles and voices. It drew nearer, and they saw 
dimly through the fog a monstrous canoe, filled 
with giants. The giants called out to them, 
'^Little people, where are you going f 

'*We are lost in the fog," said the poor In- 
dian, very sadly, ^*and our children are alone 
at home." 

*^Then come with us to our camp," said the 
leader, who seemed to be a kind-hearted giant ; 
**my father will treat you well, for he is the 
chief. So have no fear. ' ' 

The three great canoes closed around the 
little one, and the giants lifted it on their pad- 
dles into the leader's canoe. 

When they reached the beach, the Indians 
saw three great wigwams; and coming to meet 

59 



60 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

them was the chief, who was the largest giant 
of all. 

*^Son/' he cried, ^^what have you there? 
Where did you find that little brother ! ' ' 

*^My father," he answered, *^I found him 
lost in the fog." 

** Well, bring him home to the lodge, my son," 
said the chief. 

So they carried the canoe into the wigwam 
of the chief, with the Indian and his wife still 
sitting in it. Then they put the canoe under the 
eaves, and placed food before the little people 
— more than they could eat in a week. 

The next day two of the chief's sons went out 
hunting, and when they returned they carried 
about their waists many caribou, as easily as a 
Micmac would carry a string of rabbits in his 
belt. And besides the caribou there were otters 
and beavers hanging from the giants ' belts. 

The next day the giant chief said, **We are 
to be attacked. We must be prepared for war. 
In three days a terrible Chenoo, with a heart of 
ice and stone, will come from the north to de- 
vour us. We must make ready to meet him." 

So two sons of the giant chief, with two other 
braves, started out early in the morning of the 
third day to meet the cannibal giant Chenoo. 
When the time for the battle came, the chief 
said to the little people, ^^Stop up your ears, 
and bind your heads, and roll yourselves in 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 61 

many folds of dressed skins, lest you should 
hear the deadly war scream of the Chenoo.'* 

They did so, and yet with all that, the terrible 
scream of the Chenoo almost killed them. The 
second scream of the Chenoo harmed them less, 
and the third they scarcely heard at all. Then 
the giant chief, who knew by his magic all that 
was happening, came in, and told them to un- 
wrap themselves, and come out, for the Chenoo 
had been slain. 

Soon the warriors returned, and told about 
their hard battle with the Chenoo. 

The next day the giant chief said, ^^In three 
days we shall be attacked by a Koohives; so 
make ready to do battle with him. ' ' 

On the morning of the third day, the four 
warriors again went out to meet the cannibal 
giant Kookwes. The little people stopped their 
ears, and wrapped themselves in dressed skins 
as they had done before. Again they heard a 
great shout ; then a fainter one, and then a third 
still weaker. Then the warriors returned, cov- 
ered with blood, with their legs pierced with 
great trees, for the fight had been in a forest. 
It had been a terrible battle. The giants had 
been nearly overpowered. And as it was, the 
chief's eldest son had been so sorely wounded 
that he fell dead before his father's wigwam. 

When the old chief saw him fall, he went out 
and stood beside him. 



62 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*^Wliy are you lying there, my sonf he 
asked. 

*^Ah! my father, it is because I am dead,'' 
the son replied. 

Then the old giant said, *^My son, arise.'' 
And the son came to life, restored by the won- 
derful magical power of the old chief. 

Now the chief thought that his little people 
might be finding life dull among them. 

**Are you tired of visiting with us?" he 
asked. 

**We have never been so merry," they said, 
'^but we cannot help being anxious about our 
children at home." 

**Ah, indeed! That must be so," replied the 
old chief. *^ To-morrow morning I will have 
you carried home." 

In the morning, the canoe was brought down 
from the eaves, and was packed full of the finest 
fur and the best meat. Then a small dog was 
put in, and the chief said, *^This dog will lead 
you safely home. Each of you must take a 
paddle and guide the canoe in the direction in 
which the dog sits looking." And then the 
giant chief said to the dog, **And do you take 
good care of these little people, and guide them 
home." 

As the Indian and his wife entered the canoe, 
the old chief said, *^In seven years you will be 
reminded of me. ' ' 



[WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 63 

The Indian sat in the stern of the canoe ; his 
wife sat in the prow; and the dog sat in the 
middle. The dog kept his ears and nose 
pointed in the direction they were to go, and 
they glided so rapidly over the smooth water 
that they were soon in sight of home. Their 
children saw them nearing the shore, and ran 
down to meet them, shouting for joy. And the 
dog, as soon as he saw them safely ashore, 
turned and ran home again, leaping and running 
over the water as though it were ice. 

Now this Indian, who had always been poor, 
began to see better days. When he let down his 
lines, the biggest fish came to them ; and thus in 
every way he prospered. The time passed so 
quickly, and he was so busy, that before the 
seven years had passed he had almost forgotten 
that he had ever been lost in the fog. But when 
the seven years were nearly ended, as he slept 
he began to have many dreams. In them he 
went back to the land of the giants, and saw all 
those who had been so kind to him. And one 
night he dreamed that he was standing by his 
wigwam near the sea, and that a great whale 
swam up to him and began to sing ; and the sing- 
ing was the sweetest that he had ever heard. 

Then he remembered that the giant had told 
him he would be reminded of him in seven years, 
and he thought, **I must be looking toward the 
Bouthwest.'' And he said to his wife, *' These 



64 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

dreams must mean that I am about to be trans- 
formed into a Megumoowesoo/' 

That day they saw a great shark swimming 
about in their bay. He seemed to be chasing 
the small fish. He came close to the shore, but 
he did not sing as the whale had done in the In- 
dian's dream. This seemed to the man and his 
wife an evil omen. But soon afterward there 
came trotting to them over the sea the same 
small dog which had been their pilot from the 
land of the giants. The dog wagged his tail 
for joy at seeing them, and seemed to be wait- 
ing for some message from the man. The man 
understood, and he said, ^^I will make you a 
visit in three years' time, and I will look to the 
southwest." 

Then the dog licked the hand and ears and 
eyes of the man, and went home as before, over 
the sea, running over the water. 

When the three years had passed, the Indian 
entered his canoe, and paddled out into the 
great water without fear. He found his way to 
the land of the giants, and he saw the great 
wigwam standing on the beach, and the huge 
canoes drawn up on the shore. He saw the old 
giant coming down from far off to meet him, but 
he was alone. 

When he had been welcomed in the wigwam 
he learned that all the sons were dead. They 
had died three years before, when the shark — 



WONDER TALES OP THE FOREST 65 

a great sorcerer — had been seen off the shore. 

**My sons are gone/' the old chief said, ^*and 
I shall soon follow; but before I go, I wish to 
leave their magical power with yon. Take their 
clothes, and wear them; and in wearing them, 
you will receive all the wonderful powers my 
sons possessed. Take them home with you, and 
when you put them on, think of me." 

So the Indian took the clothes, and went home. 
"When he put them on they were so large that 
he was almost lost in them ; but — what was his 
surprise to find himself growing and growing 
and growing until the clothes just fitted him I 
He was as large as the giants of giant land. 
And he was as strong and as wise as they had 
been. But when he took the clothes off he 
grew small and weak again. And so, whenever 
he needed to use magical power, he put on the 
giant's clothes, and he became great and wise, 
and he could do whatever he willed to do. 

And Jcespeadooksit — the story ends. 



AN ADVENTURE WITH A CHENOO 

LONG ago, in the olden time, an Indian, with 
his wife and child, went far away toward 
the northwest into the forest to hunt and trap. 
They built a wigwam, and made it all ready 
for the winter. 

All went well for a time. The man hunted, 
and brought home plenty of game and fur. The 
wife was kept busy, slicing and drying the meat, 
and preparing the food, and taking care of her 
child. 

One afternoon, as the wife was out gathering 
wood, she heard a noise among the bushes near 
by, as though some large animal were making 
its way through them. She looked, — and her 
heart stood still with horror. There stood a 
creature, part human and part beast, and part 
demon ! It was of the size and form of a man, 
an old man, — naked, and with a hideous face. 

The woman had heard of the terrible Chenoo 
of the north, a cruel monster with a heart of ice 
and stone, and she knew at once that this was 
one of the fierce cannibals so much dreaded by 
every one, and that he had come to kill and de- 
vour her. 

66 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 67 

Although she was so terrified, the woman 
thought instantly of a plan for escape. She 
rushed toward the monster, crying out, ^^Why, 
my own dear father, where have you come from, 
after being gone so long! Come in! Come 
in!'' She took him by the hand, and led him 
into the lodge. **But, my dear father, why do 
I see you so worn and ill-used?" she said, as 
she gave him a blanket of her husband's to put 
on. 

The Chenoo made no answer to her talk, but 
took the clothing and put it on, and sat down 
where he w^as bidden. 

*'Are you not hungry?" she asked and 
hastened to place food before him. The Chenoo 
scarcely tasted it, and all the time he looked at 
her angrily and fiercely. 

The woman tried to conceal her terror. She 
talked all the time pleasantly, and busied her- 
self to make the horrible creature comfortable. 
At last she went out to gather more wood for the 
fire. The Chenoo rose and followed. 

*^Give me the axe," he said. She gave it to 
him, thinking, *'Now he will kill me." But he 
began cutting down the trees. He cut them 
and broke them up as though they were straw, 
and soon there was so much wood that she 
said, ^^My father, that is enough. We have 
plenty. ' ' 

Then the Chenoo laid down the axe, and went 



68 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

back into the wigwam, and took his seat as be- 
fore. 

The woman followed him in, and took her seat 
near the door. Soon she saw her husband com- 
ing, and went out to meet him. 

^^ There is a terrible Chenoo in the lodge, '^ 
she said, *'I am pretending that he is my 
father. Do,'' she begged, ^'call him father; it 
may save our lives.'' 

^'My father-in-law," said the Indian, when 
he went into the wigwam, ** where have you 
come from, and how long have you been on 
your journey?" 

The Chenoo stared at him in amazement ; but 
as the man went on to tell him all that had 
happened since he went away, his fierce face 
began to grow a little more gentle. 

When they had their evening meal, they 
offered the Chenoo food, but he ate noth- 
ing. And when night came, he lay down and 
slept. 

All the next day the creature kept the same 
fierce silence ; but on the third day, he began to 
yield to the power of kindness. He spoke to 
the woman, calling her daughter, and asked for 
food. After he had eaten it, he fell asleep. 
When he awoke he seemed changed, and spoke 
gently, and asked for more food, and when it 
was brought, he ate heartily. When the roaring 
fire became too warm for his body, accustomed 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 69 

to the cold of the north, he asked the woman 
to shield him with a screen. 

After this, the Chenoo became so gentle that 
they feared him no more. He became one of 
them, and did as they did. But of the dried 
meats, such as the Indians used, he soon became 
tired. One day he said to the woman, speaking 
gently, *^My daughter, have you any fresh 
meatr' 

*^We have none," she said. 

*^Is there a spring of water nearT' he then 
asked her husband. 

*^None nearer than a half day's journey, '^ 
the Indian told him. 

^'We must go there to-morrow," said the 
Chenoo. 

They made everything ready, and in the 
morning they started off. The Indian led the 
way. He was young and active, but the Chenoo 
easily followed, old and feeble as he seemed. 
They came to the spring. It was large and 
beautiful. The snow was melted away around 
it, leaving a border, flat and green. 

Then the Chenoo laid aside his blanket, and 
began a magic dance around the spring. Soon 
the water began to rise and fall, as if moved 
by some monster beneath it. The Chenoo 
danced faster and faster, and soon the head of 
a huge lizard appeared above the surface. He 
raised his head high, and then his body, as 



70 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

though to come out of the water. The old man 
killed the creature with one blow of his hatchet, 
and dragged the body out, and laid it on the 
bank. 

Once more he began his magic dance, and 
soon another great lizard was captured. 

The Chenoo now dressed the meat, and made 
a great bundle of it, and threw it over his 
shoulder. Then he said to the Indian, ^^Lead 
the way home.'' 

It was past noon. The journey was long, so 
they started on the run. The man was swift, 
and there was no Indian who could run faster, 
but the Chenoo pressed close upon him. 

**Can you run no faster?'' the Chenoo asked. 
* * The sun is setting already, and it will be dark 
before we reach the lodge." 

^^Ah, I can go no faster," answered the In- 
dian. 

**Get on my back then," said the Chenoo. 
The Indian mounted on top of the load. The 
Chenoo bade him hold his head low to escape 
the branches. Then the old man ran like the 
wind. The branches whistled as they passed 
by, and they were at home before nightfall. 

When the wife knew what their meat was, 
she was unwilling to touch it, but her husband 
persuaded her to prepare it for the Chenoo. 
They themselves lived upon the food to which 
they were accustomed, and the Chenoo upon 



WONDER TALES (JF THE FOREST 71 

his. So they all remained together as friends. 

Then the spring was at hand. One day the 
Chenoo said, ** Something terrible will soon 
come to pass. An enemy — a Chenoo — a woman 
— will come like the wind from the north to 
kill me. There can be no escape from the battle. 
She will be far more furious, and mad, and cruel 
than any male Chenoo can be. No one can tell 
how the battle will end ; but you, my children, 
must go to a place of safety, to keep from hear- 
ing the terrible war whoop of the Chenoo, which 
is death to men. You must cover your ears, 
and hide yourselves in a cave.'' 

Then he sent the woman for the bundle he 
had brought with him. This had hung un- 
touched on the branch of a tree. 

The Chenoo opened the bundle, and took out 
a pair of dragon's horns. One of them had two 
branches, the other was straight and smooth, 
and both were as bright as gold. He gave the 
straight horn to the Indian, and kept the other 
one for himself. 

*^ These are magical weapons," he said, ^^and 
the only ones that can be of use in the coming 
battle." 

On the third day, the enemy came as the 
Chenoo had said. The old man was brave and 
bold. He heard the long terrible scream of his 
foe without fear or trembling, as she flew 
through the air from the icy north. He heard 



72 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

it long before the others, and told them that 
now they mnst hide. 

^^The terrible Chenoo is coming, yon must 
now hide yourself," he said. ^*If you can live 
after hearing the first scream, you will not be 
harmed by her in any way. If you hear me call, 
*My son, come to my aid,' bring with you 
the horn, and you may be able to save my 
life." 

They did as he directed. They hid in a deep 
hole which they had dug in the ground. They 
covered their ears; but all at once the cry of 
the foe burst upon them like terrible thunder, 
and their ears rang with pain. In spite of all 
the care they had taken, they were nearly 
killed; but soon they heard the answering cry 
of their friend, and they knew that they were 
safe. 

Then the battle began. The Chenoos, whose 
magic was aroused to its greatest power, 
swelled to the size of mountains. The tall 
pines were torn up by the roots, and rocks were 
hurled, and the fight was terrible. At last the 
man in the cave heard the Chenoo calling : 

' ' My son-in-law ! Come and help me ! " 

He climbed out of his hiding place, and ran 
to his friend. 

The old Chenoo was struggling upon the 
ground, in the power of his enemy, who was 
trying to thrust her dragon's horn into his ear. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 73 

He was moving his head rapidly from side to 
side, to prevent her. She was mocking him. 

**Your son-in-law! You have no son-in-law 
to help you. I will take your useless life! I 
will eat your liver ! ' ' 

Now the Indian was so small beside these 
giants that the enemy did not see him at all. 

i i Thrust your horn into her ear, ' ' the Chenoo 
called. With a well aimed blow the man did 
this. He struck with all his might, and the 
point of the horn entered her head. At the 
touch the magical weapon grew. It darted 
through her head, and took root in the earth. 

^^ Raise the other end of the horn, and place 
it against the pine tree,'' the Chenoo called. 
The Indian did so, and the horn coiled around 
the trunk of the tree, and the enemy was held 
fast. 

Then the Indian and the Chenoo tried to kill 
the foe. But it was no easy task. The whole 
body had to be destroyed, for should the least 
fragment remain unburnt a full grown Chenoo 
would spring from it, having all the fierceness 
and strength of the first. 

At last all of the terrible monster was de- 
stroyed except the heart, and that was the hard- 
est of all. The heart was of ice, but of more 
than ice, for it was as hard to melt as stone. 
When they put it into the fire, it put the fire out. 
Again and again they were obliged to rekindle 



74 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

it. But at last the heart began slowly to soften ; 
and then they cut it into small pieces with a 
hatchet, and melted it. And, at last, after all 
this labour, the terrible enemy was destroyed. 

Now spring was near. The Indian and his 
wife and child were soon to return to their 
home, and the Chenoo, now quite one of them, 
said that he would go with them. They built 
a canoe for him, not of birch bark, like their 
own, but of moose skin, and placed in it a part 
of their venison, and some skins. The Chenoo 
took his place in the canoe, and followed as 
they led the way. 

At first they went down the river, but soon 
they came out upon a broad, beautiful lake. 
Suddenly, they saw the Chenoo lie flat in the 
canoe, as though to hide himself. 

^^What is it? What is the trouble?'' they 
asked. 

*^I have been seen by another Chenoo, who 
is standing on the top of that mountain," he 
said. The mountain was so far away that 
they could only see the outline against the 
northern sky. 

^'He has seen me/' he said, **but he cannot 
see you. Should he see me again, his anger 
will be roused, and he will come to attack me. 
Who would conquer, I do not know. But I 
prefer peace." 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 75 

So the Chenoo lay hidden in the bottom of 
the canoe, and the Indians towed him across the 
lake. AVhen they reached the outlet, and were 
in the river again, the Chenoo said: 

**I can travel no farther by water. I will 
go by land.'* 

They told him where they were planning to 
encamp that night, and he started off on foot 
across the mountain by a roundabout way. 

The Indians went down the river with the 
spring freshet, headlong with the rapids. But 
when they paddled around the point where they 
meant to pass the night, they saw smoke rising 
from the trees. When they landed, they saw 
the Chenoo sleeping soundly by the fire, which 
he had built for them. 

They travelled in this way for several days. 
Each day they went on with the spring waters ; 
each night the Chenoo was before them at the 
encampment. But as they journeyed south, a 
change began to come over their companion. 
He was a creature of the north. In ice and 
snow he was in his element; but he could not 
endure the soft showers of summer. He grew 
languid and feeble, and when they reached 
their own village, he was so weak that he could 
no longer walk. So they carried him into their 
wigwam. 

As the days went by the Chenoo became 



76 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

weaker and weaker. The days grew warmer, 
and then he could no longer move or speak. 
And so he died. But he did not die a Chenoo, 
for by the kindness of the Indians his heart of 
ice had been melted, and he had become a human 
being. 
And kespeadoolcsit — the story ends. 



THE MAGICAL DANCING DOLL 

ONCE there lived in the forest an Indian 
with his wife and seven sons. Every 
day the father and his six older sons went ont 
hunting, and the youngest would stay and help 
his mother; for he was too young to go hunt- 
ing with the others. 

The little boy's especial work was to dry the 
moccasins for his father and brothers. At 
night, when they came back from the hunt, and 
their moccasins were wet with snow water, the 
little boy would wring the water out of each 
one, and put it near the fire. Then he would 
watch it until it would be dry, and ready to 
use again. And, because he did this work, they 
began to call him Noo-je-he-si-gu-no-da-sit, — the 
Wringer-and-Dryer-of -Moccasins. So Nooje- 
Jcesigunodasit became his name. 

Noojekesigunodasit was busy from morning 
until night, helping his mother. He would 
have been a happy child, — but for one thing. 
His eldest brother was very cruel to him. He 
would beat him whenever he had the oppor- 
tunity, and he would take his food away from 

77 



78 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

him; so that many times Noojekesigmiodasit 
had to go to bed hungry, for he dared not tell 
his father. All the other brothers were afraid 
of the eldest one, too, so there was no one to 
help him. 

At last Noojekesignnodasit could bear the 
ill-treatment no longer. So he went to his 
mother, and said: 

*^I am going away. I cannot bear my 
brother's cruelty any longer. I shall go far 
out into the world. So make for me a small 
bow and arrow and thirty pairs of moccasins." 

The mother told no one about the little boy's 
plan; for she was sorry for him, and she did 
not know how to shield him from the cruel 
brother. She made the moccasins, and the bow 
and arrow, and gave them to him with a heavy 
heart. 

Then Noojekesigunodasit made a bundle of 
the moccasins, and started early one morning, 
just after his father and brothers had gone 
out hunting for the day. He stood in the door 
of the wig-wam and looked about him. Every- 
where there were great, tall trees. He did not 
know any of the trails that led about the 
forest, so he thought that it would be safest 
to make his own trail. 

Now this is what Noojekesigunodasit did. 
He stood there in the doorway and shot the 
arrow straight ahead. Then he quickly ran 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 79 

after it. He reached the spot where the ar- 
row fell almost as soon as it touched the 
ground. Then he shot it straight in front of 
him again, — running as he did so. This time 
he reached the place where it was about to fall 
just in time to catch it. The next time he 
found that he could go faster than the arrow. 
All day long he travelled in this way, and by 
night time he had gone a long way. 

When the brothers reached home that night 
Noojekesigunodasit was not waiting outside 
the wigwam as usual, and the eldest brother 
said angrily: 

*^Wliere is the child! Where is Noojeke- 
sigunodasit?" 

**0h," replied his mother, 'Mittle Noojekesi- 
gunodasit could not bear your cruelty any 
longer, and so he has gone away. He will 
never come back again." 

'*Ah, then!" said the cruel brother, **I will 
pursue him; I will bring him back again." 

In the morning, early, the cruel brother 
started in pursuit of Noojekesigunodasit. He 
travelled one hundred days upon his trail, and 
then he found the marks of a fire, — the first 
fire that Noojekesigunodasit had made, and by 
that he knew that he had only covered the dis- 
tance that his brother had gone on the first day. 
And so he gave up the pursuit and returned to 
the wigwam. 



80 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Little Noojekesigunodasit travelled on, — and 
on, — and on. At last, one day, he met a very 
old Indian. The old man's hair was long and 
grey. 

*^ Whither away, my child; and whence do 
you comeT' the old man asked him. 

^'I have come a long, long way," said the 
child. ^*And you — where are you fromf 

*^You say, my child, that you have come a 
long, long way!'' replied the old man. **But I 
— all! The distance you have travelled is noth- 
ing beside the long way I have come, for I was 
a small boy when I started upon my journey; 
and since that day I have never halted; — and 
you see that now I am very old." 

**But, tell me," said Noojekesigunodasit, 
"where that country is. I will go to that place 
whence you came." 

'^Ah, my child! You can never reach that 
country/' replied the old man. 

*^But I will try/' said the boy. Then he hap- 
pened to look at the old man's feet, and he 
saw that his moccasins were old and worn. He 
quickly opened his bundle of moccasins. 

*'I have many moccasins, which my mother 
made for me. Take of them." And Noojeke- 
sigunodasit put the pretty new moccasins upon 
the old man's feet. Then he started along the 
path the old man had just travelled. 

*'Wait, here is a little gift for you!" the old 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 81 

man called out. ^^Take this box; it will help 
you in time of need." 

So Noojekesigunodasit took the box and put 
it into his beaded pouch, which hung from 
his waist; and each started out upon his 
way. 

After a while, Noojekesigunodasit began to 
think about the box, and he wondered what 
might be in it. He stopped, and took the box 
out of his pouch. It was a little round box, 
with strange pictures marked upon the cover, 
and all around the side. Noojekesigunodasit 
carefully opened it, — and there, dancing away 
as fast as he could, was a little mite of a man 
doll! 

^^ Well I What is it! What is wanted?" the 
doll asked, as he abruptly stopped dancing, and 
looked up at the boy. 

Then Noojekesigunodasit realised that he 
had been given a Manitoo, a magical being. He 
knew that this little doll was a god from the 
spirit world, and that he would do everything 
he was told to do. So Noojekesigunodasit said 
to him: 

**I wish to be taken to the country from 
which the old man came." 

**Well, I will do that for you," the doll an- 
swered. 

Suddenly, Noojekesigunodasit 's head began 
to swim, and everything grew black about him. 



82 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

When he became conscious again, he found that 
he had been changed into a young man, and 
that he was near a large Indian village. And 
now he knew this to be the country from which 
the old man had come. He went at once into 
the first wigwam he came to, for this is what 
all Indians do when they are in a strange place. 
There was an old woman in the wigwam, all 
alone. She asked the stranger to the seat of 
honour, and then she began to cry. 

*'Wliy do you weep, Noogumee, grand- 
mother?" he asked her. 

**I weep because you are here," the old 
woman answered. ^^ Every young brave who 
comes seeking the chief ^s daughter is put to 
death, and you will be, too. The chief will 
seem willing for you to marry his daughter, 
but he will ask you to do some task so difficult 
that you will lose your life." 

** Never mind, — I am not afraid of the chief,'' 
Noojekesigunodasit said. **I will marry one 
of his daughters, and he will not be able to kiU 
me/' 

In a little while the word went around the 
village that a young brave had come from some 
far country, and that he wanted to marry one 
of the daughters of the chief. When the chief 
heard of this, he sent a messenger to Noojeke- 
sigunodasit. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 83 

'■^The chief will speak to you in his wigwam,'* 
he said. 

Noojekesigunodasit looked quietly at the 
messenger. 

''Tell him I will not go," he said at last. 

Now all of the Indians were very much 
afraid of the chief, and when they heard that 
this strange young brave returned such a mes- 
sage, they said to one another: 

' ' This must be some great brave ! He must 
be even greater than the chief, because he is 
not afraid.'' And they went to the chief, and 
told him that some powerful brave was in their 
village. This time the chief sent a very polite 
message. He said: 

''Will the young brave do me such great 
honour as to visit my lodge?" 

Then Noojekesigunodasit visited the chief, 
and the chief told him after a while that he 
might marry his oldest daughter. 

"But there is one little favour I would ask 
of you," he said. "It is just a little thing, — 
just to remove a troublesome object — a small 
nuisance. It hinders me from seeing the sun 
rise in the morning." 

"And what is that!" Noojekesigunodasit 
asked. 

"Oh, it is only a small nuisance," the chief 
repeated. "It is that granite mountain out 
there. I want to see a broad, level, green field. 



84 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

when I come to the door of my wigwam in the 
morning.'^ 

* ^ Oh, certainly, I shall be glad to do that for 
you." Noojekesignnodasit said this as though 
it were as easy for him to remove the granite 
mountain as it would be to pick up a bit of 
wood from the ground. 

Well, that night, when every one in the vil- 
lage was asleep, Noojekesignnodasit went 
quietly to the door of the wigwam and pushed 
aside the skins. He stole softly to the entrance 
of the village, and then took out the little box 
that the old man had given him. When he 
opened the box, the doll stopped his dancing 
and asked: 

**What do you want of me nowT' 

* * I want you to level down that granite moun- 
tain," said Noojekesignnodasit; *^and I want 
you to have it done before morning." 

'^All right, I will have it done before morn- 
ing," and the magical doll went on with his 
dancing. 

Noojekesignnodasit closed the little box and 
lay down to sleep. All night long he could 
hear the sound of the labourers at their work. 
There was pounding and tramping and shout- 
ing and shovelling ; such noises as he had never 
heard before! And when he awoke, — the 
whole mountain had been tahen away! 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 85 

When the chief awoke he went to the door 
of the wigwam, and drew aside the blanket, 
and looked to the east. There, before him, was 
a green, level field. The high mountain had 
disappeared. 

^^This brave has greater magical power than 
I. He shall be my son-in-law, ' ' he cried. *^Go 
call him, and tell him to come to me.^' 

This time Noojekesigunodasit obeyed. He 
went to the chief. But the old man was crafty ; 
and he was not to be easily beaten. He had 
another task ready for Noojekesigunodasit. 
It happened that he was at war with a power- 
ful tribe in the neighbourhood, and he thought 
th<at if he could use this strange young brave 
in the war, he might perhaps succeed in getting 
him killed. So he said: 

*^I wish to take the village of the enemy by 
surprise and destroy it." 

*^A11 right," said Noojekesigunodasit. **I 
will go with you. Get your warriors together, 
and we will start out to-morrow." 

The chief prepared for a start early in the 
morning; but in the night Noojekesigunodasit 
set out alone, and walked until he came within 
sight of the village of the enemy. Then he 
stopped and took out his magical box and 
opened it. The little doll was dancing away as 
fast as ever; but when he saw the light he 
stopped. 



86 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 



(i 



Weill What is it I What do you want of 
meT' he asked. 

*^I want you to destroy this village; and you 
must have it done before morning.'' 

**A11 right. I will have it done before morn- 
ing." 

Noojekesigunodasit wrapped himself in his 
blanket, and lay down on the ground to sleep. 
When morning was breaking, he awoke, and 
went to look at the village. All was silent. 
Every one, — men, women, and children, — had 
been carried away by the magical dancing doll, 
and the village was destroyed. 

Noojekesigunodasit now started back, but he 
had gone only a short distance, when he met 
the chief and all his warriors coming on to sur- 
prise the enemy. They all stopped when they 
saw him. 

** There is nothing more for you to do,'' he 
said; **for I have destroyed the village, and 
all the people have been carried away." 

The chief sent men to the place to find 
whether the story were true. They soon came 
back and reported that it was just as Noojeke- 
sigunodasit had said. All the people had gone, 
and the village was destroyed. 

The chief did not yet know the young brave ^s 
name; so he asked: 

'*What is your name?" 

**My name is Noojekesigunodasit," he said. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 87 

The chief was surprised to find so powerful 
a young brave with so common a name ; but he 
was ready to fulfil his promise, and give him 
one of his daughters for his wife. 

So Noojekesigunodasit married the chief's 
youngest daughter, and built him a large and 
beautiful lodge, and took his wife there to live ; 
and they had a servant to wait upon them. 
But he himself joined the hunters. 

All went well for a time, but alas I One day 
Noojekesigunodasit went away, and carelessly 
left his pouch with the little box in it. Now 
it happened that the servant had for a long 
time been curious to know the secret of his 
master's power. He saw the beaded pouch, 
and thought that this might hold the secret. 
He opened it, and there he found the little 
box. 

' * Hello ! " he cried ; ' ' what is this V^ He took 
out the box, and lifted the cover. There he saw 
the magical doll, dancing furiously. 

^'Well! What is it? What do you want of 
mef" asked the doll as he stopped dancing. 

At once the servant understood. Here was 
a god who could do everything one asked him 
to do ; he could work all wonders. This was a 
chance not to be lost. 

**I wish this wigwam and everything there 
is in it to be moved to some place where no one 
can find it,'' he said. 



88 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

^^All right," said the little dancing doll, '*I 
will do it for you.'' 

Instantly the man's head grew dizzy, and 
he seemed to faint. When he became conscious 
again, he found himself and the mistress and 
the wigwam, in the depths of the forest, sur- 
rounded on every side by water. Of course, 
everything belonged to him now. He became 
lord and master of all the place. 

That night Noojekesigunodasit came home, 
and found that his wigwam, his wife, his serv- 
ant, his magical box, — all were gone. At first 
he was bewildered, and did not know what to 
do. But, at last, he remembered that he still 
had his magical bow and arrow. He shot out 
the arrow and followed after, just as when he 
had set out from home. 

It was not long before he discovered the hid- 
den wigwam ; but how to get it back he did not 
know. He waited until the servant was asleep, 
and then he crept up stealthily and looked in. 
He drew aside the skins in the doorway, and 
motioned to his wife to get the beaded pouch 
for him. 

The wife crept to the sleeping servant, and 
tried to draw the beaded pouch from under his 
head. The servant moved uneasily in his sleep, 
and she waited until he was quiet again. 
Again she tried to draw the beaded pouch 
away, and again the servant stirred in his sleep. 



.WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 89 

But at last she had the pouch in her hand, 
and stole over to the door to Noojekesiguno- 
dasit. He found the little round box and opened 
it, and there was the magical dancing doll, as 
ever, dancing and dancing away. 

' ' Well ? What is it ? What is it now ? ' ' said 
the magical dancing doll. 

^^Take us back to our own village, and place 
the wigwam just as it was before," Noojeke- 
sigunodasit said. And soon they were all back 
in their own home again. But the servant was 
punished for his wickedness. For Noojeke- 
sigunodasit had him put to death, and had a 
blanket made of his skin to hang before the 
door of the wigwam, to show all people the 
punishment of such a wicked servant. 

Now the old chief could never be satisfied to 
think that the young stranger had been stronger 
than he in magical power. So he tried once 
more, and for the last time, to destroy him. 
One day, he said quietly to Noojekesigunoda- 
sit: 

'*I want you to bring me the head of a 
chepechcalm for my dinner." Now the che- 
pechcalm was a terrible monster, a dragon. He 
gave magical power to all the medicine men, 
and the chief himself was a medicine man. And 
so he thought that the chepechcalm would put 
an end to Noojekesigunodasit. 



90 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

^^All right,'' said Noojekesigunodasit. *^I 
will get it for you." 

He went outside the village, and took out 
his magical box, and said to the dancing doll: 

^^I wish you to bring a chepechcalm to the 
village. ' ' 

Soon a chepechcalm was seen coming toward 
the village. All the inhabitants screamed and 
fled in every direction — all, except Noojekesi- 
gunodasit. He went boldly out to meet the 
dragon, and gave him battle. The fight was 
long and furious, but at last Noojekesigunodasit 
won, and cut the dragon's head from his body, 
and carried it to the old chief's wigwam and 
tossed it inside the door. The old man was 
alone. He was weak and exhausted, and nearly 
bent double. And when he saw that the dra- 
gon was dead, and that now all his own magic 
was gone, and that Noojekesigunodasit was 
still alive, he fell down and died. 

Noojekesigunodasit then became the chief; 
and from that day the people had plenty. No 
famine or sickness ever visited them, for Noo- 
jekesigunodasit and his magical dancing doll 
kept all evil away from them. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



THE MAGICAL HAIR STRING 

THERE was once a large Indian encamp- 
ment on the border of a forest. On the 
outskirts of this village there lived two old 
people. They had two children, both of whom 
were daughters. They were fair and beautiful ; 
but they were so shy that they would not allow 
themselves to be seen by any one, and they 
would marry no one. 

Now the chief of the village had a fine look- 
ing son, who knew of these two beautiful girls, 
and wished to marry one of them. He told 
his father and some of his friends about his 
wish, and they went to the wigwam where the 
maidens lived, to see what could be done. The 
beautiful maidens were nowhere to be seen, for 
they kept themselves behind a screen out of 
sight. 

The evening passed merrily; they feasted 
and played games. At last the old chief said: 

**My son is tired of living alone." 

The father said that he must wait until the 
next day before he could give the chief an an- 
swer. 

When the visitors had gone, the father said : 

91 



92 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**My daughters, the chief's son is tired of 
living alone.'* But neither of the daughters 
was willing to be married, so the father sent 
word to the chief that there would be no wed- 
ding. 

Now it happened that there lived in the vil- 
lage an ill-looking fellow, who was stupid be- 
sides, and clumsy at any kind of work. When 
he heard that the young chief had been refused, 
he said with a laugh : 

**I could get one of those girls if I wished." 

Some of his companions, who heard him, 
said: 

**Let us go to the wigwam of the maidens 
this evening." 

So, just as the old people and their daughters 
were beginning the evening meal, the young 
braves slipped into the wigwam. The maidens 
had no time to hide behind their screen. So 
for once they must be looked at. 

The father asked the braves to stay, and 
after eating, they played games until late in 
the evening; but not one word was said about 
the proposed marriage. When the young 
braves came away, the others laughed at their 
stupid companion for his lack of courage. 

Time passed, and the ill-favoured young 
brave went one day into the forest. As he 
walked along he met an old woman, wrinkled 
and bent. Her hair was adorned with a great 



WONDER TALES OP THE FOREST 93 

many hair-strings, which hung over her 
shoulders, and trailed down to her feet. 

** Where are you going T' she asked the 
young brave. 

** Nowhere in particular," he answered. 
**And where are you from, grandmother?" 

**I have not come far," she said, **but look 
you here! Are you anxious to marry one of 
those beautiful maidens?" 

**0h, by no means," he said. 

**But I can help you," said the old woman. 
**I can tell you how to win one. All you have 
to do is to say the word." 

**How must I go about it?" asked the young 
brave. 

**Take this," she said, handing him one of 
her hair-strings; **it has magical power. Eoll 
it up and carry it in your pouch for a time.^ 
Then, when you have a chance, you must throw 
it upon the young woman's back. But take care 
that she does not see you do it, and that no 
one knows about it but yourself." 

So the young brave took the hair-string, and 
did as the old woman directed. He went once 
more, with a few of his comrades, to the wig- 
wam of the beautiful maidens. They slipped 
in suddenly as before, just at the beginning of 
the evening meal, and the beautiful maidens had 
no time to conceal themselves behind their 
screen. 



94 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

All the time the yonng brave was watching 
for an opportunity to nse the magical hair- 
string. And, at last, when no one was look- 
ing, he contrived to throw it upon the back of 
one of the maidens. He said nothing to her, 
and soon after this the young braves went 
away. 

The next day the Indian was walking alone 
in the forest, and he saw, coming toward him, 
the maiden whom he had charmed with the 
magical hair-string. 

** Where are you going?" she asked shyly. 

**I am going hunting," he said. *^But 
whence have you come? And what are you 
doing out here all alone? Are you lost?" 

**0h, no! I am not lost," she replied. 

**You had better go back to your wigwam," 
he said, **and I will go with you, and tell your 
parents that I found you wandering in the 
woods, not knowing the way home." 

When they reached the wigwam, the father 
of the beautiful maiden said : 

** Would you like to have my daughter for 
your wife?" 

**I would," he answered, ^*for I am tired of 
living alone." 

And so they were married. The magical 
hair-string had won the beautiful maiden for 
the awkward, blundering young brave. 

Ajid kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



THE CHILDEEN AND THE LOON 
MAGICIAN 

ONCE upon a time a little Indian boy and 
girl lived with their parents beside a 
large lake. They were always playing to- 
gether ; but they loved best of all to play on the 
shore beside the water. 

One day the two children w^ent fishing, and 
the boy said : 

*^Can you tell what kind of fish I catch T' 

*'0f course I can/' the sister replied. 

*^What is this then?" he asked, holding up a 
fish, but quickly throwing it into the water 
again, before she could see it. ^^ There, there," 
he said, *'I knew that you could not tell what 
kind of fish I catch ! ' * 

Soon after this the sister caught a fish and 
held it up. 

*^Do you know what this is, my brother?" she 
asked. 

*^It is a trout," he said. 

*^No, no, it is not," she answered. **It is a 
Takooonow — there! After all your crowing 
I have beaten you." 

95 



96 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

They laughed, and kept on with their fishing, 
walking along the shore. By and by they heard 
a Loon crying in the distance. 

*^ There is a Kwenioo crying," the little girl 
said. *^It makes me feel lonely. Let us go 
home." So they went home, carrying their 
fish ; and their mother cooked it for them. 

The next day the children built a little play- 
house on the shore. They spent hours play- 
ing there together. When people passed they 
would see the children talking earnestly to- 
gether, and they would say: 

**Wliat queer little children!" 

One day the brother said : 

**I will make you a beautiful robe, my sister." 

So he gathered a great many leaves, red and 
yellow ones, and made her a bright, glistening 
robe. The little girl put it on, and then the 
two went down to the shore of the lake. Very 
soon they heard a Loon calling, and the brother 
said: 

**I will hide; but you walk back and forth 
along the shore. The Loon will see you, and 
perhaps he will come and talk with you." 

The little sister walked along the shore in 
her bright robe, and soon the Loon saw her 
and came to where she was standing. 

' * NiksJcamich — grandfather, ' ' she said ; 
** where have you come from?" 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 97 

**0h, from nowhere in particular/' the Loon 
replied. 

Then the sister ran to where her brother was 
hiding and he walked down to the water be- 
hind her, so that the Loon wonld not see him. 
He spoke to the Loon and soon the three talked 
together without any fear. 

**My children," the Loon asked, *^do you 
want anything?" 

**No, grandfather," they said, *'we do not 
need anything." 

** Listen to me, my children," the Loon said, 
**and I will give you power more than most 
Indians have." 

The children went home then, but ever after 
that day, whenever the maiden heard the Loon 
calling, she felt lonely, and she would sit a 
long time in one place as though in deep 
thought. Very often the Loon came to the 
brother and sister, when they were on the 
shore; but he never went to them if any one 
else were with them. 

One day the Loon said: 

**Your village is to be destroyed in a few 
days. A terrible Kookwes is on the way here. 
Tell your parents to move down to the shore; 
and when you hear the Kookwes coming, go 
into the water and hide there until he goes 
away." 



98 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The children went home, and found their 
parents in the lodge. 

^^My father,'^ the son said, '^sl terrible 
Kookwes is coming to attack ns, and destroy 
the town, and he is on the way.*' 

*^Who told you soT' the father asked. 

^^Kwemoo told us,'' the boy said. **And he 
said you must move down to the shore, and 
when we hear the Kookwes coming, we must 
run into the water and hide there." 

**If Kwemoo told you so, it must be true," 
said the old man. *^We must go at once." 

When the other Indians saw them moving, 
they asked: 

**Why do you move your lodge?" The 
father told them that a Kookwes was coming. 

**Who told you so?" they asked. 

**The Loon told my little boy so," said the 
father. 

**Pooh! Your son is not much, and the 
Loon is nothing. We will not go!" they an- 
swered. 

But the two children and their parents went 
down to the shore, and walked along until they 
heard the Loon call three times, and then they 
stopped and built a lodge. 

The next day the Loon came to the children 
when they were alone. 

**The Kookwes will reach your village to- 
morrow night, ' ' he said. 



.WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 99 

The next night, sure enough, they heard the 
great shout of the giant, as he rushed into the 
village. They hid in the lake until morning, as 
the Loon had told them to do. They could hear 
the screams and the noise while the terrible 
giant was destroying the village. 

After the village was destroyed, and the giant 
had gone away, they went back to where their 
old home had been. But they liked the new 
lodge so much better, that they never moved 
back to the village. 

Day by day the two children and the Loon 
were together on the rocks by the lake. The 
Loon taught the boy how to be a swift runner ; 
and how to walk on the water as the Loons do ; 
and then he taught him how to fly in the air, 
so that he could hunt in all these ways. Then 
the Loon said: 

**Now your family will never be in want of 
food; but, if you should ever need my help, I 
will come to you.'' 

Now, years had passed away, since the day 
when the little Indian girl had walked on the 
shore in her robe of bright leaves. She was 
now a beautiful maiden. She was alone one 
day by the water, when the Loon came to her, 
and asked her to be his wife. 

*'Mogwaa — no," she said. 

But when she went home, she told her mother 
what the Loon had said. 



100 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*'Kwemoo wants me to be his wife,'' she said. 

^^Kwemoo would be a very kind husband to 
you," the mother replied. 

So they were married; but Kwemoo never 
went to her father's lodge. The two spent 
their days together on the shore. One day 
Kwemoo said: 

^ * Some men are coming in a canoe ; they will 
hunt me. ' ' 

*'Hide behind the large rock until they go 
away," his wife said. 

The next day the two men came in a canoe. 
They visited a few days with the family, and 
then urged them to return to their village for 
a visit. But the Loon said: 

'*Your parents and your brother may go if 
they choose, but do you stay with me." 

So she stayed. 

The others went with the strangers, who 
made a time of feasting and games for them. 
The young brave, because he had been taught 
by the Loon, won all the games. He could out- 
run them all; he could hunt better than any 
one; and so he soon became hated by all the 
braves of the village. 

**Let us destroy him," they said. And they 
determined to kill him the next night. 

But that night the young brave heard the 
voice of the friendly Loon, and he knew that 
he was in danger. He went to his parents. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 101 

*^Let us hasten from here,'' he said; *^we are 
in danger. The Loon has just warned me.'' 

So the three stole out of the village in the 
night, and were far away when it was found 
that they had escaped. 

Soon after they returned home, the father 
and mother died; and the brother and sister 
and Kwemoo lived together by the beautiful 
lake. 

**I will do all for you in my power, for seven 
years," the Loon said. **Then I must leave 
you, and return to my own people." 

Kwemoo kept his word. For seven years 
they lived a quiet, happy life. It was so beau- 
tiful there that the wife wished to stay in that 
one place, and not move from place to place. 
So they stayed until the seven years came to 
an end, and then the Loon said: 

^^I must leave you now and go to my own 
people." 

So he went back to his own people, and the 
brother and sister were left alone by the lake. 
The third day after he had gone away, the 
sister said: 

**I feel sad and lonely." She went down to 
the water, and sat on a rock, and looked across 
the lake. 

In a little while some one touched her arm. 
She looked up, and there beside her was her 
husband, — Kwemoo. 



102 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**A11 of these days,'* he said, **I could not 
keep the thought of you out of my mind. So 
I have left my own people, and I have come to 
you.'' 

And kespeadooJcsit — the story ends. 



MIMKUDAWOGOOSK THE MOOSEWOOD 
MAN 

ONCE upon a time an Indian maiden 
dwelt alone in a large forest. She was 
often very lonely, and wished that she had a 
brother or a sister to live with her. 

One day, when she was gathering fuel, she 
found a long, slim branch from the Mimkiida- 
wok tree, and carried it home with her. She 
left it leaning against the wigwam, outside the 
door. That night she heard a human voice 
crying: 

^^Numees, my sister, I am cold! Oh, I am 
very cold!'' 

^' 'NseeSy my brother, if you are cold," she 
called back, ^^why do you not come in and warm 
yourself r' 

'*I cannot come in, for I am not clothed," 
called back the voice. 

*^Wait, then, and I will put out some cloth- 
ing for you," she answered. 

The maiden quickly took some blankets and 
threw them outside, and went back to her work. 

Presently in walked a fine looking young 
brave, who at once took his seat where a 

103 



104 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

brother would sit in the wigwam. Then she 
kne^ that the branch from the moosewood tree 
she had left standing by the door had been 
transformed into this brave, who was sitting 
in the brother 's place. She would not be alone 
any longer ! She would have some one to care 
for her! 

The young brave was very kind and good, 
and he was a great hunter. So the maiden had 
plenty of food, and no longer needed to go out 
into the forest. She named her brother Mimku- 
dawogoosk, because he had sprung from a 
moosewood tree. They were happy together, 
but still the maiden was not satisfied. She was 
still lonely. 

**I am lonely," she said, **when you are 
away ; I wish that you would bring me a sister- 
in-law." 

**That is well, my sister, but where shall I 
seek a wife!" Mimkudawogoosk said. 

'*I know the way; and if you do just as I tell 
you, you will find the maiden," the sister said. 
^^ Follow the trail through the forest, and at 
length you will reach a high mountain. Then 
follow the trail over the mountain. On the 
^^Jy you will come upon giant serpents. Do 
not battle with them, or notice them in any way. 
But use your bow as a leaping pole. It has 
magical power, and it will help you to leap 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 105 

over the giant serpents, and over every other 
danger on the way. When you have crossed 
the mountain, you will come to another forest. 
Follow the trail, and you will come to a wide 
river that flows through a broad plain. Follow 
the river through the plain and it will lead you 
to the village where lives the maiden, whom I 
would have you seek for your wife. When 
you reach the village, do not go into the finest 
wigwam, but seek out the poorest. There an 
Indian lives with many beautiful daughters. 
The youngest is the fairest. Wed her." 

Mimkudawogoosk started upon his journey. 
He had travelled a few days, when one morning, 
in the forest, he heard his sister singing. She 
had become lonely without him, and had set 
out to follow him. To give him warning that 
she was coming, she sang as she went along; 
it was a magical song, and he heard her al- 
though far away. 

^^Keturn to your wigwam — do not follow me 
— do not follow me !'' he sang back to her. So 
she went back to the wigwam. 

Mimkudawogoosk went on, until he came to 
the mountain. He was climbing over a narrow, 
rocky way, when just before him, he saw the 
giant serpents. He quickly held his bow like 
a leaping pole, and made a great leap. The 
bow carried him safely over, and he landed far 



106 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

beyond the giant serpents. Then he went down 
the mountain, and whenever he came to any 
difificult place, the bow helped him leap safely 
over. 

At last Mimkiidawogoosk reached the great 
forest, and on the other side of the forest he 
came to the wide river, flowing through the 
broad, green plain. He followed the river un- 
til he reached the Indian village. Everything 
had happened just as his sister had said. And 
now he remembered this, and set out to find 
the poorest looking wigwam. There, as he ex- 
pected, he found a group of pretty girls. The 
youngest was the most beautiful. Mimkuda- 
wogoosk went to her, and took a seat by her 
side. She remained seated. This meant that 
she was willing to be his wife. And as the 
parents were content that it should be so, they 
were married. 

The beauty of the Moosewood Man's face, and 
his manly bearing had won the heart of the 
maiden, and the good will of her father; but 
all the young men in the village were very 
angry, for the maiden had many suitors among 
them, who had tried to win her, and now to see 
her so easily won by a stranger was hard to 
bear. They all determined to kill him at the 
very first chance. 

One day Mimkudawogoosk's father-in-law 
said, *'I would like my son-in-law to try his 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 107 

hand at hunting. And when you return suc- 
cessful there will be a great feast in honour of 
the marriage/' 

So Mimkudawogoosk took his wife and set 
out in his father-in-law 's canoe. He pushed up 
the river to the hunting ground, as he was told. 
They landed and made a hut, and then Mim- 
kudawogoosk went to work in good earnest. 

Now Mimkudawogoosk, as we know, was a 
mighty hunter, and it was not many days before 
he had a great amount of venison and fur, and 
was ready to start homeward. This was just 
what the young men of the village were waiting 
for, for they had laid a plot to kill him on his 
way. A band of those who were clever at mag- 
ical arts followed him until they came to the 
place where he had built his hut. Then they 
did not know what to do next ; they feared to at- 
tack him openly, and in magic they suspected 
that he must be more than a match for them. 
So the cleverest of them all transformed him- 
self into a mouse, and hid in the blanket of Mim- 
kudawogoosk 's bed, thinking that when the 
Moosewood Man fell asleep, he could give him 
a fatal blow. 

But Mimkudawogoosk knew all the time what 
was going on, and when the mouse crept into 
the blanket he was quietly waiting for him. 
As soon as the mouse touched him, Mimkudawo- 
goosk caught him under his knee and began to 



108 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

squeeze liim. The mouse, finding himself being 
squeezed to death, cried out as loud as he could. 
The noise awakened the wife; and when she 
saw that something was being crushed under 
Mimkudawogoosk's leg she tried to arouse 
him. But Mimkudawogoosk was very dull and 
sleepy, and could not understand what she was 
talking about. And all the time he kept squeez- 
ing the mouse harder and harder, although he 
did not intend to kill him. At last, when he had 
tortured the mouse enough, he let him go. And 
never did a frightened mouse run faster. 

*^This brave is a great magician. We can 
never kill him, ' ' he cried as he reached his com- 
panions. And they all made off for home, 
faster than they had come, lest something worse 
should befall them. 

Then Mimkudawogoosk packed the venison 
and fur, and all of their belongings into the 
canoe, and said, '*Do you take the canoe back, 
while I return to my old home for my sister." 

So his wife took the canoe home, and Mim- 
kudawogoosk travelled back over the mountain 
to his sister's wigwam, and soon they were both 
back in the Indian village in the new home. 

Now there was feasting, and merriment, and 
games; but all the time the young men were 
plotting to destroy Mimkudawogoosk. One of 
them belonged to the Kwemoo — ^Loon — family, 
and thinking he could drown Mimkudawogoosk, 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 109 

he challenged him to a diving match. Mimku- 
dawogoosk was quite willing, so off they 
started. Down they went into the water, and 
after a long time the Loon came np to the top, 
but he was dead, and was carried away down 
the river by the current. Those on the bank 
waited a long time, thinking that Mimkudawo- 
goosk must have been drowned too, but at last 
he rose to the surface and came out of the 
water. He rose into the air, shaking the water 
from his wings, and went flying over their 
heads, for he had changed himself into a sea- 
duck. 

So in everything the young men tried, Mim- 
kudawogoosk always came off victorious, to the 
delight of his wife and his father-in-law. But 
his wife's sisters and all the young men tried 
as hard as they could to do him injury. 

At last Mimkudawogoosk decided to stay no 
longer with them. So he took his wife and his 
sister and his little son, who had come to them, 
and the canoe and weapons which his father-in- 
law had provided for him, and made his way 
back to his own lodge in the forest where the 
sister had spent so many lonely years. 

And hespeadoohsit — the story ends. 



THE ICE-KING 

ON the banks of a wide river there was once 
a large Indian village. One very cold 
winter, nearly all of the people died. But at 
last spring and the warm weather came again ; 
the snows melted from the hills ; the ice left the 
streams and lakes, and all floated down with the 
freshet except one huge ice-cake, which lodged 
on the land some distance from the bank. 
There it stayed for a long time, making the air 
cold and damp for a great distance about. 

At length a stout, determined Indian decided 
to get rid of the ice-cake. He took a great 
weapon of iron, and attacked the monster, cry- 
ing out at every blow, *^Come on, freeze me if 
you can; do your best!" 

At every blow the enemy gave way, and was 
at last, by dint of prying and pushing, tumbled 
over the bank into the river, and borne away 
by the current. 

'^ There!" cried the Indian. *'Be off with 
yourself, and never come back to trouble us." 

** Thank you!" cried the Ice-King. ^^You 
have done me a great favour. But I will make 
you another visit next winter." 

110 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 111 

The man went about his work. In the 
autumn he thought about the threat of the Ice- 
King and he prepared for battle. First, he 
built a wigwam in a place where fuel and water 
were plenty. Then he laid in a good supply of 
wood, chopping down dry old trees, and cutting 
the fuel fine. Oil he prepared, too, to use in 
case of need. And he made ready a great sup- 
ply of winter clothing. 

Winter came at last, and with it came the Ice- 
King. Everywhere his breath could be felt — 
stiffening the lakes and river, and covering the 
ground with frost and snow. The air became 
colder and colder, until at last, one day, the Ice- 
King walked boldly into the wigwam, and took 
his seat opposite the place where the man was 
sitting. So cold was his body and breath that 
the fire almost went out, and the Indian was 
nearly benumbed by the cold. 

Yet he had still the power to bestir himself, 
and with all the energy he possessed, he began 
to pile the wood upon the fire. The fire roared, 
and crackled, and blazed higher and higher, and 
the Ice-King moved back. Soon he moved back 
still farther, and then again, until he was 
against the wall of the wigwam and could go 
no farther. Then he began to melt and grow 
smaller and weaker. At last he was obliged to 
cry out for mercy. 



112 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**My friend,'* he cried; *'you have won the 
victory; now, then, let me go.'' 

Then the man arose, took the poker, and 
pushed the fire away, allowing the Ice-King to 
pass out. The Ice-King arose, and went out, 
saying as he went, * ' My friend, you have fairly 
beaten me twice; now you shall be my master 
forever." And with this he disappeared. 

After this, that man had no more trouble with 
the cold. For him it was always summer all 
the year round. He needed neither cap nor 
mittens nor moccasins. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



PULOWECH AND THE SEA MAIDEN. 

ONCE upon a time there was a forest, where 
magicians and other evil spirits lived. 
These evil people made attacks upon the In- 
dians whenever they could, and destroyed them. 
Sometimes they would transform them into ani- 
mals, or rocks, or trees, or anything they chose. 

Now this forest was beside the ocean, where 
beautiful sea maidens lived ; and the evil people 
of the forest were always watching to seize 
them and torture them. So the sea maidens 
were afraid to go about on the shore. 

But there was one who defended them, and 
they did not know it. This was Pulowech, an 
Indian brave, who lived in a wigwam near the 
forest. 

Pulowech knew all about these evil people 
of the forest, and he was watching all the time 
to destroy them. And so they were afraid of 
him. If they saw him walking on the seashore, 
they would hide again in the forest. So when- 
ever Pulowech was near, the sea maidens were 
safe. 

One day, in the winter, Pulowech was walk- 

113 



114 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ing along the shore, when suddenly he came 
upoil three beautiful sea maidens. They were 
sitting upon a block of ice braiding their hair. 
Pulowech had never seen them before, and he 
thought, * ^ How I wish that I might have one of 
those beautiful maidens for my wife I ^ * 

He stole near, thinking that he might seize 
one before they saw him. But just as he 
reached the block of ice where they were, they 
saw him, and with a scream sprang into the 
water and were out of sight. 

** I will wait here,'' Pulowech said, '^and they 
may come back again." 

He gathered many spruce boughs and made 
a bank of them near the block of ice. Day 
after day he hid there, waiting for the sea 
maidens to come back. 

At last there came a day when the sea 
maidens returned to the very spot where they 
had been before. Pulowech, watching through 
the spruce boughs, saw them come up out of the 
water, and look cautiously around. Then they 
climbed upon the block of ice and untied their 
hair-strings and began unbraiding their hair. 

Pulowech stepped out from behind the bank 
of spruce boughs, and came nearer and nearer 
to the sea maidens. They did not hear him 
coming. He was just reaching out his hand 
to seize one, when suddenly they all screamed 
and sprang into the sea again. But Pulowech 



:WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 115 

had managed to seize one of their hair-strings. 

This hair-string had magical power,- and 
Pulowech knew that the sea maiden could not 
live without it. So he carried it to his wigwam, 
and tied it around the post at the head of his 
bed. 

In the morning, when Pulowech awoke, he 
saw, sitting quietly on the mat by the door of 
the wigwam, a beautiful sea maiden. 

^^Why do you come here?" he asked. 

**I have come for my hair-string," she an- 
swered. 

And then Pulowech persuaded her to stay 
and be his wdfe. 

They lived very happily together and the sea 
maiden never spoke of longing for her old home 
in the ocean. 

Whenever Pulowech went away from the wig- 
wam, he would say, **Do not let any one into 
the wigwam while I am gone." And the 
maiden always did just as he said. 

One day, when Pulowech was setting out on 
a hunting trip to be away many days, he said, 
as usual, *^Do not let any one into the wigwam, 
— no matter who it may be. If you do, great 
harm will come to you,'' And the sea maiden 
promised that she would not open the door for 
any one. 

That night there came a great storm. The 
ocean roared, and the wind blew, and the forest 



116 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

trees moaned in the wind and snow. And the 
sea maiden was all alone in the wigwam. But, 
in the midst of the storm, there came a rapping 
at the door. She started from her mat, sorry 
for any one out in such a storm — and tlien she 
remembered the words of her husband, *^Do 
not open the door to any one. ' ' 

She sat down again, and then the knocking 
came again, and this time she heard the voices 
of her brothers and sisters calling to her. 

^^Pantahdooe! Pantahdooe! Open the door 
unto me! Open the door unto me, my sister! 
We have missed you, and we have come from 
our far-away home in the ocean to seek you. ' ' 

Oh! Her brothers and sisters were out in 
the cold. Of course she must let them in ! 

She started to the door ; — and then the words 
of her husband came to her again, ^'Do not let 
any one into the wigwam. ' ' 

Again she went back to her mat. 

The storm grew louder, and the trees beat 
their branches against the wigwam. And then 
in the storm she heard her mother's voice. 

^'Pantahdooe! ^Ntoos! Pantahdooe! Open 
the door unto me, my daughter ! Open the door 
unto me!'' 

The sea maiden ran to the door, and was just 
drawing away the post, when again her hus- 
band's words come to her, ''Do not open the 
door to any one!'' 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 117 

She went back to her mat, and began to cry. 
Her mother and her brothers and her sisters 
were there, and she could not let them in out of 
the storm! 

And then she heard the trembling voice of 
her poor, old father. 

** 'Ntoos! 'Ntoos' Pcmtahdooe! loJce 
cyowchee! My daughter, my daughter! Open 
the door nnto me, for I am very cold." 

Ah ! She could not leave her poor old father 
out in the cold and storm ! 

She sprang to her feet, tore away the post 
that held the door, and opened it ! 

And there fell upon her the evil people of 
the forest, like a pack of ivolves, and they did 
not leave so much as one little hone upon an- 
other. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



HOW PULOWECH AVENGED THE SEA 
MAIDEN 

AFTER the wicked people of the forest had 
destroyed the sea maiden, they knew that 
they must hide from the angry Pulowech; for 
he would surely avenge her death. 

One sorcerer said, ^*I will hide myself high 
up in the cliff beyond the forest. I will turn 
myself into the stone of the cliff and stay there 
until the anger of Pulowech passes away.'' 

**And I,'' said another sorcerer, **will go far 
beyond that place, and climb in the cliff and 
stay there turned into stone until the anger of 
Pulowech passes away." 

*^And I will go far beyond the reach of Pulo- 
wech into another country," the third sorcerer 
said. 

Then the oldest sorcerer of all, an old woman 
whom they called *' Grandmother" said, **I will 
go far beyond you, my son. I will go beyond 
the Cavern of Darkness. Pulowech will never 
find me there." 

There was still a band of the sorcerers left, 
and they said, **We will turn ourselves into a 

118 



.WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 119 

flock of wild geese, and stay by the great lake 
on this side of the mountain. Pnlowech will 
never think of finding ns there/' 

So they went along the path by the ocean be- 
yond the forest, and when the first sorcerer 
came to the place in the cliff where he was to 
hide, he stopped. Then the second sorcerer 
came to his hiding place, and he stopped there. 
After a long time the others reached the great 
lake near the mountain, and those who were 
to transform themselves into wild geese halted 
there. There were but two of the wicked 
people left — the old woman sorcerer, and the 
one who would go into the far country — and 
these went on their way to their hiding places. 

When Pulowech returned to his lodge, it was 
quiet and empty. There was no beautiful sea 
maiden waiting for him. The fire had died out 
long ago, and the wigwam was cheerless and 
dark. Where could the sea maiden be? 

Pulowech feared that the sorcerers of the 
forest might have killed her ; and he knew that 
he could not attack them and destroy them, 
unless his magical power was greater than 
theirs. He also knew that he must be calm and 
quiet, and have no anger or haste, or he could 
not summon his magical power to help him. 
He would be powerless. So he took a small 
wooden bowl, and filled it half full of water, 



120 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

and placed it by tlie door of his wigwam. Then 
he went quietly to bed and fell asleep. In the 
morning when he awoke, he looked into the 
wooden bowl — and there, instead of water, he 
saw blood; so he knew that the sea-maiden 
wife had been destroyed by the sorcerers. 

Pulowech took a stone hatchet and stone- 
headed arrows, and his bow, and set out to 
track the sorcerers. At last, he found their 
trail and followed it along the path that led 
beyond the forest, and in front of the cliff by 
the ocean. He travelled on and on, looking 
very carefully at every object he passed. At 
last he saw, high up on the cliff, projecting from 
the rock itself, the lower part of a man's leg. 

**Ah! This sorcerer thinks that he is hid- 
den in the cliff. He does not know that his end 
has come," thought Pulowech. And with that 
he cut the leg off with his stone hatchet; and 
thus one of the wicked sorcerers of the forest 
was destroyed, for he could not turn himself 
back into a human being again, but must always 
be a part of the cliff. 

Then Pulowech went on his way, looking all 
about him as he journeyed along. At last he 
saw a man's foot and ankle protruding from 
the cliff near the ground. He took his stone 
hatchet from his belt, and cut off the foot. And 
this sorcerer became a part of the stone cliff. 
He, too, was destroyed. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 121 

*^I am avenging the sea maiden,*' thought 
Pulowech; ^'but I have a long journey before 
me, and a work needing all of my magic.'' 
As he said this, he saw a poor, little squir- 
rel crawling along nearly dead; he picked 
it up and stroked it, and put it in his 
bosom, saying, ''You must fight for me, my 
brave little fellow ; but I will be near you to aid 
you." 

Pulowech followed the path by the ocean, and 
soon it led him over high hills, toward a great 
mountain, and at last he came to a large lake. 
His magical power warned him that here he 
would find many of the evil people. And as 
he looked out over the lake, a flock of wild geese 
rose from the shore and mounted high in the 
air. 

Then Pulowech called his magical power to 
help him, and quickly shot one arrow after an- 
other at the wild geese. They fell, one by one, 
at his feet, until the entire flock had been killed. 
He tied them together, and carried them over 
his shoulder. 

As Pulowech went over the high mountain, 
he knew that his greatest trial was yet to come, 
and he kept away from him all feelings of anger 
and disquiet ; for he well knew that his strength 
depended upon his quiet and peace of mind. 
Travelling in this way, he at last saw a wigwam 
in the distance, and his magical power warned 



122 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

him that another of the wicked sorcerers was 
hiding there. 

When he reached the place he entered the 
wigwam. There before him sat a surly-look- 
ing Indian, who did not ask him to take the 
stranger's seat in the best part of the wigwam. 
For this Indian was one of the sorcerers, and 
he hoped to make Pulowech angry and thus 
lessen his magical power. So Pulowech sat 
down on the mat nearest the door, and waited 
quietly for the other to speak. 

At last the sorcerer prepared some food, 
without saying a word, and divided it, giving a 
part to Pulowech. As Pulowech took the plate, 
the other Indian snatched it from him saying, 
**Ah, no, I would rather give it to my dog!'' 

Pulowech did not become angry as the 
sorcerer had hoped; he sat quietly just as if 
nothing unpleasant had happened. The sor- 
cerer offered him food and took it away a 
second time ; and again Pulowech did not notice 
the insult, or become angry. Then the sorcerer 
asked rudely, *^Did you have any adventures 
on the way?" 

'* Truly, indeed!" Pulowech answered. *'I 
saw a man's leg sticking out of a cliff, and I 
cut it off, and went on. Then I came to a 
place where there was a man's foot showing 
from a cliff, and I cut that off. And then I 
came to a large lake near a great mountain, 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 123 

and I saw a flock of wild geese rising from the 
shore, and I shot them, every one. And they 
are outside your door. And much good may 
they do you!" 

The sorcerer was taken off his guard. All 
of his comrades had been killed but the old 
grandmother ! 

•^^Ah! Our dogs must fight this out,'' he 
said. He called his dogs from another room, — 
great, fierce beasts possessed of magical power. 
They went out in front of the wigwam, and 
Pulowech took from his bosom the little 
squirrel and stroked it, and placed it upon the 
ground, — and it was instantly transformed into 
a huge beast. It sprang at the two dogs and 
fought them furiously. 

When the sorcerer saw that his two dogs 
were no match for Pulowech 's dog, he cried, 
*'0h, call off your dog. Those dogs belong to 
my grandmother, and she prizes them." 

But Pulowech did not notice what the sor- 
cerer was saying, and soon the two beasts lay 
dead upon the ground. 

Now the sorcerer had one other hope of de- 
stroying Pulowech, and that was — in the Cav- 
ern of Darkness, 

^^Let us go in the canoe," he said. 

So the two set off in the canoe. The river 
was broad and smooth at first ; but soon it grew 
narrow, until, without warning, it fell into the 



124 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

earth, and rushed along underground through 
the Cavern of Darkness. The canoe was drawn 
so swiftly into the dark place that Pulowech 
had just time to see the sorcerer jump into 
safety. But Pulowech had no fear. He sat 
alone in the canoe, and was quiet and still, as 
he was drawn along by the current through 
narrow places where sharp rocks might easily 
dash him to pieces. On and on he was carried 
until he saw, far ahead, a faint light. The 
light grew brighter and brighter, and at last 
he left the Cavern of Darkness, and went out 
into the bright, warm sunlight, where the water 
was smooth and calm. He paddled along un- 
til he saw smoke coming from a wigwam. Then 
he landed and went to the door. There he 
heard the sorcerer talking. 

**And grandmother, he killed your dogsT' 
Pulowech heard him say. 

'*Ah! If I had him here! If he were only 
living, and would come this way, I would roast 
him alive, — that I would," said the grand- 
mother. 

' ^ But he is not alive, grandmother, ' ' the other 
sorcerer said, *^I sent him into the Cavern of 
Darkness, and he will not see the light again.'' 

Suddenly, Pulowech stood before them. 

*^But I am alive after all," he said. '*Now 
come on, old grandmother, and roast me to 
death!" 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 125 

The old woman made a hideous scowl, but 
said nothing. Pulowech sat down. 

Now the old woman belonged to the Porcu- 
pine family, and so could endure more heat 
than other people. Hoping she might kill Pulo- 
wech, she built a great fire of hemlock bark. 
The fire blazed and crackled and roared, and 
the heat became intense. But Pulowech did not 
stir until the fire had burned down. 

Now it was his turn. He went out and 
gathered fuel and built a fire, and then closed 
and fastened the entrance to the cave. He 
heard the sorcerers calling for mercy, but he 
was deaf to their cries. The roof and sides 
of the cave glowed and cracked with the heat, 
and by and by the fire burned down and all 
was still. The last of the robbers and mur- 
derers had been destroyed. The sea maiden 
was avenged! 

And kespeadooksit—ihe story ends. 



THE GIANT'S SON AND THE BEAUTI- 
FUL MAIDEN 

IN the olden time there lived giants, who were 
fierce and cruel. They were cannibals, and 
many of them possessed magical power ; so the 
Indians were all the more afraid of them. 

In a certain part of the forest, there lived 
such a giant with his wife and son. The son 
was not like his father ; he was just like other 
Indians. It was his work to go into the forest 
and hunt for the tracks of human beings for 
his father. But he hunted animals for his own 
food. 

One day the young Indian was in a distant 
part of the forest, hunting tracks for his 
father, when he saw a beautiful Indian maiden. 
She was the most beautiful maiden he had ever 
seen, and he thought, **If I could only have this 
maiden for my wife!" And he went to her, 
and talked with her, and she led the way to her 
home. She told him that she lived alone with 
her helpless old father and mother, and that 
she was the only one to care for them. She 
hunted in the forest for animals for their meat, 

126 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 127 

and in the river for their fish. She made their 
fur blankets and clothing, and she cut down the 
great trees for their fire in the cold winter. 
She was their only child, and they lived alone 
in that part of the forest. 

When the giant's son saw how helpless the 
old people were, he said, **If you will only give 
me the maiden for my wife, I will care for you 
as long as you live. You shall never want for 
food ; and when the cold snows of winter cover 
the forest, they shall be swept away from your 
door, and you shall have warmth and cheer in 
your wigwam. But I must tell you that my 
father is a terrible Kookwes, and I shall need 
to protect you from him. ' ' 

The old people answered, *^It is well, — son- 
in-law.^' 

Then the young hunter returned to his home. 
He had spent the whole day with the beautiful 
maiden, and he had no fresh tracks to report to 
his father. 

The next morning, he hurried off in another 
direction, and found the tracks of Indians, and 
as soon as his father had set off to find them, 
the son told his mother about the beautiful 
maiden in the forest. 

**But you cannot bring her here, my son; 
your father would devour her,'' the mother 
said. 

* * Only tell my father about her, ' ' he pleaded. 



128 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**Tell him that I will always hunt for him as 
I do now; but for the others I will hunt animals 
and fish." 

So that night, when the giant came home, 
the mother told him about the beautiful 
maiden. 

^^He must not bring her here. He cannot 
have her for his wife," stormed the old giant. 

But after the wife had told him how much 
the son wished to marry the beautiful maiden, 
the giant said, '^Well, tell him that he may 
marry her; but he must build a stone wigwam 
far away from here, and never bring her near 
me." 

When the son heard what his father had said, 
he hastened away to the home of the maiden, 
and she became his wife. He took her home, 
and he and his mother hid her safely from the 
old giant, until they could build a lodge. 

When the lodge was ready, the two went 
there to live ; and the young brave hung in one 
corner of the wigwam a small bag made of 
skins. 

**Now mind," he said to his wife, '*that you 
do not touch this bag; for, if you do, great 
harm will come to you." And the wife said 
that she would remember. 

The years went by, and the young hunter 
kept his promise to the old people in the far- 
away forest. They were never in want of 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 129 

food; and in winter the snow was swept from 
their door, and they were never cold. 

In the stone wigwam, where the young 
hunter and his wife lived, there came in time a 
little boy. When the child was large enough 
to play about the wigwam, the father said to 
the mother: 

*^Now mind that he does not touch the bag 
of skin hanging in the corner. '^ 

*^And mind,'' he said, when the child was 
large enough to play with the little bow and 
arrow, ^^mind, that he does not harm the little 
skin bag that hangs in the corner. For if you 
allow him to touch it, great harm will come 
to you." 

All went well for a time; but, one day, the 
child was shooting the little arrows about the 
wigwam. 

^^Mind," said his mother, *4hat you do not 
touch the little skin bag hanging in the cor- 
ner." 

The child played merrily at his games, while 
the mother busied herself about the wigwam. 
But soon came the cry: 

*^0h, mother! Look! See the little bag in 
the corner!" 

The mother turned from her work to look 
at the bag; an arrow had pierced it, and oil 
was dripping from it to the floor. 

At that very moment, far away in the forest, 



130 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

the child's father fell to the ground. He 
knew what had happened. The little bag had 
been harmed. It was a magical bag, and the 
brave took his life from it. If all of the oil 
should drop out of the little bag, he would die 
alone in the forest. He must try to reach 
home! 

So he turned towards home, but he grew 
weaker and weaker, and he knew that the oil 
was dripping, dripping, from the little bag in 
the comer. He went along, stumbling at every 
step, until at last, he came within sight of the 
wigwam; — and then, nearer and nearer until 
he reached the doorway. He drew aside the 
skins, and there he saw his wife trying to keep 
the oil from dropping out of the bag. 

*^Ah! You did not keep your promise to 
me," he said. *^Now great harm will fall upon 
you." 

He took the little bag and made it whole 
again, for he alone could do that. And then 
he went back into the distant forest again, leav- 
ing his wife to her fate. 

Soon she heard a great noise outside. She 
looked and there, coming to the wigwam, draw- 
ing a sled after him, was a terrible giant! 
She knew at once that this was her father-in- 
law. 

The cruel, fierce giant came into the wigwam, 
and seized her, and took her away on the big 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 131 

sled he had brought, leaving the little child 
alone in the wigwam, crying. 

From that time the little boy lived alone, ex- 
cept when his father was at home from his 
hunting trips. For years he lived alone until, 
at last, there came to dwell with him Kit- 
pooseagunow, the Avenger, whose work was 
to destroy the race of cannibal giants and 
sorcerers, and all the wicked people of the 
forest. And after that the little boy was never 
lonely again. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



KITPOOSEAGUNOW THE AVENGER 

ONCE upon a time there was a lonely little 
boy. He had no playmates; he had no 
mother; his father was away on long hunting 
trips much of the time, and so the child was 
alone in the wigwam. 

Sometimes the little boy would play in the 
forest near the wigwam. One day he was play- 
ing beside an old well, and he happened to look 
in. What was his surprise to see, down in the 
well, a little hoy! The child looked up and 
smiled; and after a little while he climbed up 
out of the well. 

^^"VVhat is your nameT' asked the lonely little 
boy. 

^^My name is Kitpooseagunow, " answered 
the child, ^^and I am your brother. "When our 
wicked grandfather seized our mother, and 
was taking her away, I was bom. He threw 
me into the well, and I have lived there ever 
since.'' 

The two children played happily together all 
day; and when night was coming, Kitpoosea- 
gunow went back to his home in the well. As 
he was leaving his brother he said: 

132 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 133 

*^Ask our father to make two bows and ar- 
rows; but do not tell him about me." 

So the boy asked his father to make the 
bows and arrows, as Kitpooseagunow had said. 

The next day, after the father had gone hunt- 
ing, the little boy went to the well. 

^'My brother," he called, ^^will you not 
come out to meT' And Kitpooseagunow, from 
away down in the well, called back : 

^'My brother, I am coming. '^ 

All that day the children played together, 
and at night the younger brother went back to 
his home in the well. 

When the father returned from his hunting 
trip, the boy told him about the little brother 
in the well. ^^He is so shy," he said, ^^tliat he 
will not stay here when you are near. But if 
you will gather many bright feathers, he may 
like them, and perhaps he will stay here with 
us." 

The father collected the bright feathers, and 
concealed himself in the wigwam. Soon Kit- 
pooseagunow came in, thinking that no one was 
about but his brother. 

Wien the boys were busy at their play, the 
father sprang out from his hiding-place, and 
seized Kitpooseagunow before he could run 
away. Then he held out the bright feathers, 
one after another, to the child, until he be- 
came so interested in the pretty colours that 



134 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

he forgot his fear, and was willing to stay and 
live with his father and brother in the wigwam. 

One day Kitpooseagunow said: 

*^The time is near when I must avenge the 
death of my mother. Help me, my brother, to 
gather dried bark." 

The boys gathered dried bark, and piled it 
up in the wigwam, until there was scarcely 
room to move about. Then they made large 
heaps of it outside. 

When the father returned from his hunting, 
he chided the children for making the wigwam 
so untidy. Then, as he sat by the fire he fell 
asleep, for Kitpooseagunow was coming into 
his magical power, and had made him sleepy. 
As the father sat nodding by the fire, the boys 
lighted the bark, and went outside and fastened 
the door. 

*^The time has come for our father to die,'^ 
Kitpooseagunow said. 

Soon they heard their father calling to them, 
and Kitpooseagunow answered: 

*^I have come to avenge the death of our 
mother. You left her to be devoured by the 
Koohwes, and now you must die.'' 

Then the boys set out for the lodge of their 
grandfather — the terrible Kookwes. On the 
way they passed a birch tree. Kitpooseagunow 
broke a small branch from a fir tree near by, 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 135 

and struck the birch with it. The beautiful 
white bark was scarred with black marks ; and 
from that day the birch tree has borne the 
scars of Kitpooseagunow^s beating. 

As they travelled on, Kitpooseagunow began 
to grow larger and larger, for he was coming 
into full possession of his magical power, and 
he had a great work before him. 

As they came near the lodge of the Kookwes, 
Kitpooseagunow killed a moose ; and when they 
reached the lodge he said: 

** Grandfather, we have killed a moose for 
you. Let us go with the sled, and carry it 
home." 

Now the old giant had never seen Kitpoosea- 
gunow before ; but his magical power told him 
that this young brave before him was none 
other than the babe he had thrown into the 
well. And he knew that here stood the 
Avenger : he who had come to destroy the can- 
nibal giants and sorcerers and evil people of 
the forest. He knew that this brave was to 
be the friend and helper of Glooscap, the Great 
Chief, and that together they would overcome 
all the enemies of mankind. 

So the old chief took his sled, and the three 
went back into the forest to the place where 
the dead moose was lying. They built a fire, 
and the giant sat before it, dressing the meat; 
and as he sat there, Kitpooseagunow caused 



136 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

him to fall asleep. And then Kitpooseagnnow 
burned the wicked old giant's body into ashes, 
and gathered the ashes, and blew them into 
the air; and so evil had that giant been, that 
from the ashes sprang poisonous insects, which 
flew about the earth to torment the race of 
men! 

After this, Kitpooseagunow said : 

*^I have now avenged the death of our 
mother; and now I go out into the world to 
fight against all the evil spirits, and to destroy 
them. So I go to the lodge of the Great Chief, 
and he will direct my work among men." 

So the brothers set out for the lodge of 
Glooscap. They went into a far country, and 
it came to pass as they journeyed, that they 
entered a land where there was no water. The 
lakes and rivers and streams — and even the 
springs in the forest — ^were dry and bare. The 
Indians were dying of thirst. 

Kitpooseagunow and his brother entered a 
humble lodge, where lived an old woman with 
a little boy. Kitpooseagunow asked for 
water. 

^^Alas, there is no water!" the old woman 
said, ^^for Ahlegemoo — the giant bullfrog — 
has taken all the water, and we are dying of 
thirst." 

Now Kitpooseagunow knew why this had 
been done. Ablegemoo was a wicked sorcerer, 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 137 

and Ms magical power liad warned him that the 
Avenger was coming. So, by his magic, he 
gathered all the water in the country about, 
every drop, and held it in bark dishes in his 
wigwam. For he thought: 

^'Now the Avenger cannot pass through this 
country without water; so he will go away, or, 
if he tries to journey through, he will die of 
thirst.'' 

But Kitpooseagunow was determined to de- 
stroy this evil magician. 

^^Send the child to the wig^vam of Able- 
gemoo," he said, ^'and bring me water.'' 

The child was sent, and he returned with a 
little bowl of muddy water. Kitpooseagunow 
threw this out, and sent him again. And again 
the boy brought back muddy water. 

*^This is all they would give me," he said. 

Kitpooseagunow was about to throw this 
away, when the old woman said: 

**Do not throw the water away, but let the 
child have it. He has great thirst." So 
Kitpooseagunow gave the water to the child; 
and then he said: 

**I must go to the wigwam of Ablegemoo my- 
self, I see." 

Then Kitpooseagunow went to the lodge of 
Ablegemoo. Wlien he reached it, he found 
that the great wigwam was filled with many 
women — the wives of the chief — who were try- 



138 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ing to take the skin from a great bear. He 
watched them a moment, and then he said: 

''Let me do that for you." The women, in 
surprise, left their work, and Kitpooseagunow, 
'with one wrench, stripped the skin from the 
great beast. 

All this time Ablegemoo was in the back 
part of the wigwam, selling water to the fam- 
ishing Indians. He did not see Kitpooseagu- 
now; he did not know that he was there. Kit- 
pooseagunow quickly caught up the giant, 
and bent him back over his knee. The 
sorcerer had been seized so suddenly that he 
was taken off his guard, and could not call 
his magical power to his aid. His back was 
broken, and Kitpooseagunow threw him out of 
the wigwam dead. But from that day the 
race of frogs has the crumpled back that Kit- 
pooseagunow gave them when he killed the 
great chief, Ablegemoo. 

Now as soon as the wicked chief was dead, 
Kitpooseagunow opened all the great bark 
dishes that held the water. Instantly the water 
rushed out, and filled the rivers and lakes, and 
streams; and soon the country about needed 
water no longer. And never from that day 
was the water taken from them again; for the 
wicked old sorcerer Ablegemoo was dead. 

Kitpooseagunow returned to the lodge of the 
old woman. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 139 

**Noogumee, grandmother,'^ lie asked, ^*will 
you make me a small canoe?" 

^' Where are you going, my sonT' the old 
woman asked. 

^'I am seeking Glooscap, the Great Chief," 
said Kitpooseagunow. 

While the grandmother was making the 
canoe, Kitpooseagunow formed a tiny bow from 
a small branch of a fir tree, and then he asked 
the old woman for a hair from her head. This 
hair was for the bow-string, and Kitpooseagu- 
now knew that it would have magical power. 

In the morning the brothers started out in 
the canoe. As they went down the river, 
Kitpooseagunow kept a close watch for sor- 
cerers and magicians, who could assume any 
form they chose. For he knew they would be 
watching for him to destroy him. 

Once, at a turn in the river, they saw a huge 
giant, standing on the bank, brandishing his 
spear. The giant pretended that he was look- 
ing for fish; but in reality he was defending 
the pass against the Avenger, who was now 
entering his territory. 

Kitpooseagunow took the tiny bow and aimed 
the arrow at the monster. The magical power 
of the arrow was so great that it sent the giant 
with a great leap to the opposite shore, where 
he fell dead. 

A little farther on they came to a weir, that 



140 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

belonged to another wicked giant. Kitpoosea- 
gnnow seized this, and destroyed it. After 
this he was content to go on, for he knew that 
through this act the whole family of these evil 
doers would be destroyed. 

All these things happened just as Kitpoosea- 
gunow had planned. The Kookwes came down 
to the weir to see what had been trapped. 
And instead of the usual supply of fish, he 
found his weir broken and utterly destroyed. 
In great anger he went to his lodge, where he 
lived with his family — all as wicked and cruel 
and fierce as he was. 

**Ah,'' he said to his wife. *'My weir is de- 
stroyed. You should have been watching it. 
Now I will destroy you." And in his anger 
he killed first one and then another of his 
family, until at last he was left alone in the 
wigwam. 

^^ After all,'' he said, ^^it was my oivn weir, 
and I should have been watching it myself. I 
shall destroy myself for that. ' ' And with that 
he killed himself. So this whole family of 
Kookwes was destroyed by the work of Kit- 
pooseagunow, the Avenger. 

All this time the brothers were going down 
the river. At last they came to a place where 
the water grew rough, and the way narrow, 
and before them rose a wall of rock. Here the 
river dropped suddenly into the earth. It 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 141 

was the terrible Cavern of Darkness, that they 
were about to enter. 

^'I must guide the canoe now/' Kitpoosea- 
gunow said. ^^Be calm and have no fear, for 
this is a great trial of our strength.'' 

At that moment the canoe was drawn under- 
neath the earth. Through the dark place they 
were drawn swiftly along, the foam beating 
in their faces and sharp rocks jutting out 
against them. But at last light came to them 
from a distance, and soon they were in quiet 
water where the sun was shining. 

*^Now we will come to the land of the Por- 
cupines," Kitpooseagunow said, *^and their 
chief will try to kill us; for he is one of the 
wicked people I have come to destroy." 

"When they reached the place they landed 
and entered the wigwam. An old woman of 
the Porcupine tribe met them with pretended 
kindness. Now Kitpooseagunow saw at once 
that this was really the wicked sorcerer whom 
he had come to destroy. He knew that she 
would try to kill him, and so he made himself 
strong in his magical power. 

The wigwam they entered was a cave of 
stone; and the old woman's plan was to build 
such a fire as would smother them to death. 
She made a roaring fire of hemlock bark. As 
the place grew hot and thick with smoke, the 
brother of Kitpooseagunow fell over dead, for 



142 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

he had not the power to withstand the sorcerer. 
But Kitpooseagunow sat quietly until the fire 
had died away. Then he arose and said: 

**It is now my turn to build a fire. Saying 
this, he carried his brother 's body into the open 
air and said: 

*^ 'Nsees, my brother, — arise." And the 
brother arose, restored to life by the power of 
Kitpooseagunow. 

Then Kitpooseagunow gathered hemlock 
bark, and built a fire in the cave, and went out 
leaving the old woman fastened in. Soon the 
heat and smoke became greater than her mag- 
ical power could bear, and she fell over dead. 

After this, the two brothers went down the 
river until they came to the land of Mice. 

*^Here, my brother," said Kitpooseagunow, 
*^ dwell the people of the race of Mice. They 
are our enemies and will try to destroy us. 
They will make a great feast for us; but the 
food they place before us will be poisoned. 
See that you eat none of it, only make a pre- 
tence of eating it. After the feast we will go 
on our way; for the time is not yet come for 
me to destroy them." 

Everything happened just as Kitpooseagu- 
now had foretold. 

The people of the land of Mice were wicked 
magicians. But they made a pretence of 
friendliness for the travellers, and made a 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 143 

great feast for them; and the food they set 
before them was poisoned. 

After the feast was ended, Kitpooseagunow 
and his brother, to their great astonishment, 
did not die ; they continued on their journey as 
well as ever. 

And it came to pass that the brothers entered 
the land of Red Squirrels. The Indians here 
were under the rule of Glooscap, and so they 
were glad to entertain the travellers, who were 
seeking their Great Chief. After the feast, 
where all had met as friends, the two brothers 
entered their canoe again, and set out for the 
home of Glooscap. They had no more enemies 
to conquer now, for they were near the Mas- 
ter. 

The brothers journeyed on, and at last en- 
tered a body of water that swept far about a 
high point of land covered with giant trees. 
There were great, red cliffs leading up out 
of the water to the point of land far above, 
where Glooscap dwelt. Kitpooseagunow, point- 
ing to the place high above them, said: 

*^ There dwells the one I seek. There dwells 
the Great Chief, who will direct me in my 
work. ' ^ 

Kitpooseagunow landed the canoe where the 
red bank was lowest, the two brothers climbed 
the steep cliff, and, at last, reached the forest 
above. Kitpooseagunow stood in the high 



144 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

place and looked out over tlie world at his feet. 
And a great courage came into Ms heart. 

There before him lay the world where he 
would fight his battles to conquer evil, — and 
close beside him was Glooscap, the Great Chief, 
from whom he would receive the power. 

Kitpooseagunow turned and entered the wig- 
wam of the Great Chief. 

And hespeadoohsit — the story ends. 



THE FOEEST MAIDEN 

IT was in the olden time, and two brothers 
went hunting in the autumn, far up a 
river, in the deep forest. And they built a 
wigwam there, and remained all winter. 

In the early spring their snow shoes and their 
moccasins were worn and torn, and one night 
they wished that a woman were there to mend 
them. 

The younger brave returned to the lodge the 
next day before his brother, as usual, to pre- 
pare the evening meal — when, what was his 
astonishment to find that so7ne one had been 
there before him! Their garments were 
mended; the lodge was clean; there was a 
bright fire; and the kettle was boiling. 

He said nothing about these wonderful things 
to his brother that night. 

The next night he came back at the same 
time, and he found that some one had been 
there again; and that all was ready for the 
evening meal. Again he said nothing; but in 
the morning, when he started out to hunt, he 
went but a little way, and watched the door 
from a hiding-place. 

145 



146 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Soon he saw coming toward the wigwam a 
beautiful, graceful maiden. She was well 
dressed and clean. She entered the wigwam, 
and the young brave drew near, and stepping 
softly, looked through a hole into the lodge, 
and watched her as she busied herself about 
the work of the wigwam. 

Then he drew aside the blankets in the door- 
way, and stood before the maiden. She 
seemed frightened and confused. 

^*Have no fear," he said. **I will not harm 
you. ' ' 

Soon they became friendly, and they 
sported together like children all day long. 
For they were both young. 

When the sun was low, and the shadows 
grew long, the maiden said: 

*'I must go away now; I hear your brother 
coming, and I fear him. But I will come to- 
morrow." 

She ran away through the forest, and the 
elder brother entered the wigwam. Still he 
knew nothing about the maiden. 

The next day the maiden came again, and 
once more the two played in the sunshine and 
shadow until evening. But before she went, 
the young brave tried to persuade her to stay 
always; and she, as though in doubt said: 

^^Tell your brother all, and it may be that 
I will stay and serve you both, for I can make 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 147 

the snow-shoes and the moccasins, which yon 
need so much, and I can also build canoes. '^ 

Then she ran away, and when the elder 
brother came home, the young brave told him 
all that had happened. 

The elder brother said: 

*^ Truly, I should be glad to have some one 
here to take care of the wigwam for us.*' 

In the morning the beautiful maiden re- 
turned as she had promised. When she heard 
that the brother would consent to her coming 
to stay with them she was very glad, and ran 
off again as if in great haste. 

At noon she returned, drawing a sled piled 
up with garments and arms, — for she was a 
hunter; and indeed, she could do all things, as 
few women could, whether it were cooking, or 
sewing, or making all that men need. 

So the spring passed pleasantly, until the 
snow was gone; and then it was time for the 
hunters to return home. Until the maiden 
came, they had had but little luck in their hunt- 
ing; but after that everything was changed, 
and now they had a great supply of furs. 

One day they started in their canoes down 
the river toward home. But as they drew near 
to it, the maiden became sad. As they came to 
a point of land, she started and said: 

*'Here I must leave you. I can go no 
further. Say nothing of me to your parents, 



148 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

for your father would have but little love for 
me.'' 

The young man tried to persuade her to go 
with them but she only answered sorrowfully: 

^'No, it cannot be." 

So they went home without her. 

Now the elder brother was so proud of their 
great luck in hunting that he must tell all that 
had befallen them, and about the young maiden 
who had come to be their housekeeper. 

Then the father became very angry, and 
said: 

^^All my life I have feared this. This 
woman, I may tell you, is a devil of the woods, 
a witch of the Mitche-hant, a sister of the 
Oonahgamess, the goblins, and of the KeHahJcs, 
the ghosts." 

He spoke so earnestly and so long of this 
thing that they were afraid, and the elder, 
urged on by his father, went forth to slay 
the maiden. And the younger brother fol- 
lowed him afar off. 

They sought her by a stream, and found her 
bathing. When she saw them coming, she ran 
up a little hill. And, as she ran, the elder 
brother shot an arrow after her. It struck her 
back, and they saw that there was a strange 
flurry about her, and a scattering, as of 
feathers; and then they saw a little grey bird 
arise from the ground and fly away. 



WONDER TALES OF THE FOREST 149 

Then the brothers returned to the lodge and 
told their father all that had happened. 

^^You did well," he said. *^I know all about 
those female devils, who seek to destroy men. 
Truly this was a she Mikumwess, a witch.'' 

The younger brother could not forget his 
companion of the woods, and he longed to see 
her again. And one day, filled with this long- 
ing, he went by himself into the woods, and 
there he found her! — And she was as kind to 
him as before. 

*^ Truly, it was not by my wish," he said, 
*Hhat my brother shot the arrow at you." 

*' Truly, I know that," she answered; *^and 
that it was all the doing of your father. Yet 
I do not blame him, for this is an affair of the 
days of old. And even yet it is not at an end, 
for the greatest is to come. But let the day 
he only a day unto itself. The things of to- 
-morrow are for to-morrow, and the things of 
yesterday are departed!' ' 

So they forgot their troubles, and played to- 
gether merrily like children all day long, in 
the woods and in the open places, and told 
stories of olden times until sunset. And as 
the crow went to his tree, the young brave said : 

**Now I must return to my people." 

And she replied: 

** Whenever you wish to see me, come to the 
forest. And remember what I have told you. 



150 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Do not marry any one ; for your father wishes 
you to do so, and he will speak of it, and that 
very soon. Yet it is for your sake only that 
I say this. You must not forget.'' 

Then she told him, word for word, all that 
his father had said about her ; and yet the young 
brave was not astonished, for he knew noiv that 
she was not as other women. But he did not 
care, and he grew brave and bold; and when 
she told him that if he should marry another, 
he would surely die, it was as nothing to him. 

Then he left her there in the forest, and re- 
turned to his own people; and the first words 
his father said to him were these: 

*'My son, I have found a wife for you, and 
the wedding must be at once." 

*^It is well," he said. ^'Let it be so." 

Then for four days they held the wedding 
dance, and for four days they feasted, but on 
the last day the young brave said: 

'^TMs is the end of it all!'' And he lay down 
on a white bear skin, and then a great sick- 
ness came upon him, and when they brought 
the bride to him, they found that he was dead. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



ANIMAL STOEIES 



HOW ABLEEGUMOOCH WAS PUNISHED 
FOR HIS LAZINESS 

IN the forest Ableegumooch, the Rabbit, lived 
with his old grandmother. It was his work 
to provide food for the household, but he found 
this no easy matter, especially in the winter, 
when the ground was covered with snow and 
ice. 

One day, Ableegumooch was running through 
the forest in search of food, when suddenly he 
came upon a wigwam, standing all alone. He 
went in, and found that it was the lodge of 
Keoonik, the Otter. This wigwam was on the 
bank of a river, and from the door a smooth 
road of ice extended down to the water. 

With Keoonik, the Otter, lived an old woman, 
his housekeeper. As soon as Ableegumooch 
entered, Keoonik asked him to dine with them. 
Then he turned to the old woman and said: 

'^Noogumee, prepare the meal.'* 

Keoonik then took up the hooks upon which 
he hung his fish when he caught them, and went 
to catch some for dinner. He sat down on the 
icy bank and slid straight down into the water. 
Ableegumooch watched him. 

153 



154 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

^^What is he going to doT' he thought. 

Soon Keoonik returned with a great string of 
eels, which the old woman promptly prepared 
for dinner. 

'^My sakes!" thought Ableegumoch, **If that 
isn't an easy way of getting a living! Why 
cannot I do that as well as Keoonik? Of 
course I can. Why not?" 

And before he left the lodge he had invited 
Keoonik to be his guest at dinner on the third 
day after that day. Then he hurried home. 

*^Come!" he said to his grandmother, ^*we 
are going to move our wigwam down to the 
lake.'' He found a place just like that of his 
friend, Keoonik, and he soon moved his wig- 
wam to it, although the grandmother did 
not wish to go. Then Ableegumooch built his 
ice-road, just like the Otter's. The weather 
was freezing cold, and all he had to do was to 
pour water down the bank, where it soon froze 
—and there ivas his road all ready to slide 
upon when he should go fishing, like Keoo- 
nik! 

The next day his guest, Keoonik, came. 
When it was dinner time, Ableegumooch said to 
his grandmother: 

'^Noogumee, prepare the meal." 

**But," said the old lady, ^^ there is nothing 
to prepare." 

**0h, I will see to that," said Ableegumooch. 



ANIMAL STORIES 155 

He arranged a hook to string his eels upon, 
and took his seat at the top of the slide. But 
when he tried to slide, he found it was not so 
easy as he thought. He hitched, and he caught, 
and he bumped along, until at last he plunged 
into the water. The water was cold, and took 
away his breath. He struggled and gasped 
and was nearly drowned, for he could not 
swim. 

*^What on earth is the matter with him?" 
Keoonik asked the old grandmother, who was 
looking on in amazement. 

**0h, I suppose he has seen some one else do 
that, and he thinks he can do it too,'' answered 
the grandmother. 

'^ Come out! Coyne out of that/' called 
Keoonik, ^^and give me your stick.'' Shiver- 
ing with cold, and almost drowned, poor Ablee- 
gumooch came crawling out of the water, and 
limped to the lodge, where his grandmother 
gave him a hot drink to stop his chills. 

In the meantime Keoonik, the Otter, plunged 
into the water and very soon came up with a 
string of eels. But he was so disgusted at the 
actions of Ableegumooch, who was so silly as 
to try to do something he knew nothing about, 
that he would eat no dinner, and went away 
home — which of course was a great insult. 

And Ableegumooch vowed that sometime he 
would get even with the Otter. 



156 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

One day, after Ableegumooch had recovered 
from his cold plunge in the water, he was run- 
ning about in the forest, when he came upon a 
wigwam filled with young women who wore 
beautiful head-dresses. This happened to be 
a party of Antawaas, who were yellow wood- 
peckers. Ableegumooch entered the hut, and 
the young women politely invited him to sit 
down and stay to dinner. Then one of the 
young women took a small dish, and went up 
the side of an old beech tree, and quickly dug 
out a plentiful supply of food. This was soon 
boiled and ready for dinner. 

**Ah,'' thought Ableegumooch, ''how easily 
some people get a living! What is to hinder 
me from getting mine in the same fashion. 
Come over and dine with me the day after to- 
morrow," he said to the young women. 

At the time set, the young ladies arrived, 
and Ableegumooch turned to his grandmother 
and said importantly: 

''Noogumee! Prepare the meal." 

*^But, my child, there is nothing to prepare!" 
she said. 

^^You make ready the fire, and I will attend 
to the rest," replied Ableegumooch, more 
proudly than ever. 

So he took the hard iron of an eel spear, and 
fastened it upon his head to make it like the 
head of the woodpecker girls. Then he climbed 



ANIMAL STORIES 157 

up an old tree and began knocking Ms head 
against it, trying to peck as the woodpecker 
girl had done. Soon his head was bruised, and 
torn, and bleeding. The pretty Antawaas 
looked on and laughed at him. 

^^Pray, what is he trying to do up there?" 
one whispered to the old grandmother. 

**0h, dear! I suppose he has seen someone 
else do that, and he thinks he can do it too,'' 
answered the old grandmother, shaking her 
head. 

* * Oh, come down ! ' ' one Antawaas called to 
Ableegumooch, '^and give me your dish.'' 
Ableegumooch came down and the Antawaas 
climbed up the tree and soon had the dish full 
of dainty food, which the grandmother boiled. 
And they all had dinner. 

But Ableegumooch could never seem to learn 
wisdom by experience. One day, not long after 
his adventure in the beech tree, he happened to 
be in the wigwam of his neighbour, the Bear, 
and he noticed how easily the b^ar, who was a 
magician, could get the meat for his dinner. 
The great kettle was placed over the fire, and 
the Bear took a sharp knife and quickly cut off 
a small piece from the sole of his foot, and put 
it into the kettle to boil. Soon the whole kettle 
was full of meat, and they had a great meal. 
Ableegumooch thought it was the best meal he 
had ever eaten. 



158 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*'It is wonderful/' thought he, ^'how easily 
some people can get a living! Why can I not 
do as the bear does? Why I can, of course! 
Come over and dine with me, to-morrow," he 
said to the Bear. 

The next day, at the appointed time, the Bear 
came. 

^^NoogumeCj prepare the meal," said Albee- 
gumooch, even more proudly than ever before. 

*^But," said the old lady, ^Hhere is nothing 
to prepare." 

*^Put over the kettle to boil, and I will at- 
tend to the rest," said Ableegumooch, throw- 
ing out his chest importantly. He took a small 
stone knife, and began to cut his foot, as he 
had seen the Bear do. But alas for his poor 
little lean toes! Bits of skin and fur were all 
he could cut from them. He hacked and hacked 
at one foot and then at another, but all in vain. 
He could not get any meat to start the dinner, 
for he did not have cushions like the Bear. 

The Bear looked on in astonishment, and 
said to the grandmother: 

*'What on earth is the fellow trying to do?" 

^^Oh, dear! Oh, dear!'' sighed the grand- 
mother, shaking her head, ^'I suppose he has 
seen someone else do that and he thinks that 
he can do it too." 

**Come!" said the bear, ''give me your knife, 
and let us see what / can do." So he took the 



ANIMAL STORIES 159 

knife and quickly sliced off a cushion from his 
foot and tossed it into the kettle, where by the 
aid of his magic, it soon became a great piece 
of bear's meat, — and then they all had dinner. 

But poor little Ableegumooch was so sore and 
lame that it was a long time before he could 
get about again at all. 



HOW ABLEEGUMOOCH RETALIATED 
UPON THE OTTER 

WHEN Keoonik, the Otter, would not dine 
with Ableegnmooch and his grand- 
mother, but went away hungry, Ableegnmooch 
vowed that he w^ould punish him well for his 
rudeness. In order to do this, he must have 
magical power. So as time passed, Ableegn- 
mooch ivilled to have magical power and, at 
last, the day came when he acquired the mag- 
ical power he had been trying to gain. 

He went to the wigwam of Keoonik, and 
found that both the Otter and his grandmother 
were away. But near the door was a string of 
eels, evidently just placed there by the Otter. 

Ableegnmooch caught up the string of eels 
and started off with them. 

Very soon Keoonik returned, to find his string 
of eels gone, and to see many tracks of a rab- 
bit about the wigwam door. As the Otter fol- 
lowed the tracks he could see the marks in the 
sand made by the eels whenever they touched 
the ground. Following the tracks, the Otter 
soon came within sight of the rabbit with the 

160 



ANIMAL STORIES 161 

stolen string of eels. Keoonik ran along, and 
gained upon Ableegumooch, and would have 
overtaken him ; but happening to turn his head 
an instant— in that instant the rabbit disap- 
peared. All Keoonik could see was a small, 
deserted looking wigwam. Into the wigwam he 
went, and there he saw an old woman with sore 
eyes, shivering over a few coals. Keoonik no- 
ticed what long, pointed ears she had! 

*'Did you see a rabbit happening along this 
way?'* asked the Otter. ^^He was trailing a 
string of eels after him." 

''Eabbit? EabbitT' the old woman replied. 
**What kind of an animal is that?" 

''Why," said the Otter, ^'a little, white, 
jumping creature, with long, pointed ears." 

*'No, I saw no such animal. But I am so 
glad that you have come, my son; for I am 
very poor and cold. Do please, gather a little 
wood for me." 

Keoonik went out to gather wood. When he 
returned to the place — there was no wigwam — 
there was no old woman— nothing but rabbit 
tracks in the sandT' 

Then the Otter knew that Ableegumooch had 
played a trick upon him, and he darted off after 
the enemy with more fury and speed than ever. 

Soon he came upon an Indian village, where 
preparations were going on for a great festi- 
val. He saw the Chief dressed all in white, 



162 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

walking about with a singular jumping gait. 
Keoonik noticed that the Chief, too, had long 
pointed ears. The Otter walked up to him. 

"Did you see a rabbit running along this 
way?" the Otter asked. *^He was carrying a 
string of eels. I tracked him to this village." 

' ' Rabbit ? Rabbit ? " the Chief asked in a puz- 
zled way. ''What kind of a thing is thatT' 

''Oh," Keoonik answered, "a small white 
creature, with long ears and long legs and a 
short tail." 

"No, I have seen no such creature," the In- 
dian Chief answered. "But stay and feast 
with us." 

So Keoonik stayed, and in the midst of the 
feasting and gaiety — suddenly — someone struck 
him on the head, from behind, and Keoonik fell 
over unconscious ! When he opened his eyes 
— there was no feast before him; — there were 
no Indians — all was quiet. There was no In- 
dian village — all Keoonik could see was the 
tracks of a rabbit in the sand. 

Then Keoonik knew that he had been out- 
witted a second time by Ableegumooch, and in 
his anger, he vowed that he would kill the first 
Indian he met. 

Away he went, determined not to be cheated 
again. Soon he had gained upon the rabbit, 
whom he saw enter a swamp and then disappear 
from his sight. Keoonik ran along, entered the 



ANIMAL STORIES 163 

swamp after the rabbit, — and came to a lake. 
There in the centre of the lake was a great 
canoe, full of Indian warriors, pointing their 
arrows at him. 

Keoonik was sorry, now, that he had vowed 
to kill the first Indian he saw; because an In- 
dian could not break his vow, after it had once 
been made. So he plunged into the water and 
swam toward the canoe. 

The Indians shot their arrows at him, and, 
stinging with pain, he was forced to turn 
back to the shore. Then he decided that he 
would not pursue Ableegumooch any longer. 
So he went back through the forest to his own 
wigwam. 

As soon as Keoonik had returned to the for- 
est, the canoe with its warriors and chief dis- 
appeared, and Ableegumooch scampered off 
into the woods with the string of eels for his 
grandmother to cook for dinner. And while he 
was enjoying them, Ableegumooch decided that 
he had retaliated upon the otter. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



HOW THE BADGER MADE MES. BEAR 
BLIND 

OLD Mrs. Bear, so they say, was an easy- 
going body who thought well of every- 
one. Her wigwam was all by itself, and her 
next-door neighbour was so far off that he was 
not her neighbour at all, but was the neighbour 
of someone else! So Mrs. Bear asked an old 
woman to live with her for company. 

One cold night in winter the two old women 
made up a good fire, and lay down and went 
to sleep— Indian-fashion — with their backs to 
the fire. Mrs. Bear's feet were near the old 
lady's head, and the old lady's feet were near 
Mrs. Bear's head. 

Now when they were sound asleep, the Bad- 
ger came prowling around. He looked in at the 
door of the wigwam and saw the old women 
asleep, heads and points. At once he saw a 
chance for a rare bit of mischief; so he went 
into the woods and cut a fine long sappling 
pole, and poked one end of it into the fire 
until it was a burning coal. Then he touched 
the soles of Mrs. Bear's feet with it. Mrs. 
Bear waked and cried out to her companion : 

164 



ANIMAL STORIES 165 

' ^ Look out, you are burning me ! " 

The old woman then became angry. She had 
been sound asleep. 

*^I have not touched you!" she said. 

The Badger waited until the old women were 
asleep once more, and then he touched the foot 
of the other old woman with the hot coal. First 
she dreamed that she was walking on hot sand, 
and over roasting rocks in the summer time; 
and then she dreamed that the Mohawks were 
cooking her at a death fire. Then she awoke, 
and seeing where she was, she began to scold 
Mrs. Bear for burning her; and very soon they 
were having a merry time of it with their quar- 
relling. 

Now the Badger, seeing the old women scold- 
ing and fighting, began to laugh ; and he thought 
it so funny that he laughed harder and harder, 
until at last, he split his sides open, and fell 
down dead then and there ! 

In the morning, there lay the dead Badger 
before the door. The old women skinned him, 
and dressed him for their breakfast, and 
stretched his skin to dry on a bush outside. 
Then they hung the kettle ; the water was soon 
boiling, and they dropped the Badger in. But 
as soon as the Badger began to scald, he came 
to life. In a moment more he was as alive as 
ever! With a great leap, he jumped out of the 
kettle; he rushed out of the lodge; he snatched 



166 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

his skin from the bush ; and in ten seconds more 
he was safe in the green wood, with his skin 
on as good and tight as ever! 

Now you may think that the Badger had to 
be so quick about saving himself from the fire 
that he had no time to do any more mischief. 
But there you are mistaken! For, even while 
he jumped, his skill in wickedness did not for- 
sake him. He had just time enough to kick 
the edge of the kettle with his hind foot, and 
the kettle was overturned. All the scalding 
water went into the fire, and threw up the hot 
ashes with a great splatter, — and straight into 
the face of old Mrs. Bear they went, and put 
out both her eyes! 

That was a sad plight for Mrs. Bear, but she 
got her eyes back again another day. 



THE BADGER AND THE BIRDS 

THE Badger lived with his small brother 
near a forest. When winter came, the two 
brothers went off together into the woods to 
hunt. Going on and on, at last they came to 
a large, beautiful lake. The water was all cov- 
ered with water-fowl. There were wild geese, 
and brant, and black ducks, and wood-ducks, and 
all the smaller kinds of birds, down to teal and 
whistlers. 

They were delighted to see so much game; 
but the little brother called out to the Badger, 

^'How shall we manage to catch themf 

*^I will show you how,'' the Badger replied. 
**We must first build a large wigwam. It must 
be very strong, with a heavy, solid door." 

The wigwam was soon made. Then the Bad- 
ger said: 

^^Go out to the point of land that reaches far 
into the lake, and cry to all the birds, and tell 
them that I am their chief, and that I wish to 
hold council with them." 

The brother did just as the Badger had told 
him, and soon vast numbers of birds flocked 
about the wigwam. 

16T 



168 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The Badger, dressing himself like a chief, 
sat opposite the door of the wigwam, with his 
eyes closed as if in great state. Then the boy 
shouted : 

*^You may enter, and hear what the great 
chief has to say." 

The birds flew in, and took their seats 
about their chief in the order of their size. 
The wild geese came nearest the Badger, and 
sat down. Then the ducks, and so on to the 
smallest, who sat nearest the door. Last of all 
the boy entered, and sat down by the door, and 
closed it, and held it fast. So all the little 
birds sat nearest him. Then he said : 

*'A11 must close your eyes, and keep them 
closed for your very lives, until you are told 
to open them. For unless you do this firsty 
your eyes will be blinded when you behold those 
of the great chief.'' So all the birds, great and 
small, sat in silence with their eyes tightly 
closed. 

Then the sorcerer, the Badger, stepping about 
softly, took the birds one by one, and grasped 
each tight by the wings, and before the bird 
knew what was happening, his neck had been 
broken by the Badger's sharp teeth. Without 
any noise, or the least fluttering, he killed in 
this way all the wild geese, the brant, and the 
wild ducks. 

Then the brother began to have pity for the 



ANIMAL STORIES 169 

little birds that sat near him. He thought it 
was a shame to kill so many, when they had 
already more birds than they could ever eat. 
So he stooped down and whispered to a very 
little bird: 

*'Open your eyes." 

The little bird opened one eye very cau- 
tiously, fearing he might be blinded. Imagine 
his horror when he saw what the wicked Badger 
was doing! 

'^We are all being hilled! We are all being 
killed! ^^ he screamed. 

Then all the birds opened their eyes; and 
when they saw what was happening, they began 
to fly about in the greatest confusion, scream- 
ing with terror. 

The little brother dropped down, making be- 
lieve he had been knocked over in the confusion, 
so that the door sprang open wide, and the 
birds flew over him and began to escape. The 
Badger, in his rage, seized as many as he could 
and killed them. While the little brother, so 
that the Badger would not suspect he had 
purposely opened the door, grasped the last 
little bird by the legs, and held him fast. 

But he could not deceive the wily old Badger, 
who knew very well what had happened. He 
gave the little brother a good shaking for his 
treachery ; and then he forgave him, for he saw 
that they had all the birds they could use. 



170 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The Badger and bis brother now had a good 
winter's supply of birds; and when they had 
plucked and dressed them all, they invited in 
all their neighbours and gave them a great 
feast. 



THE BADGER AND THE STAR WIVES 

LONG ago two Star Wives — the Weasel girls 
— found themselves at the top of a giant 
pine tree unable to climb down. They wished 
then that they had followed the directions their 
Star Husbands had given them. 

^'Oh, see, my younger sister, what trouble 
you have brought upon us by your haste! If 
you had only been content to wait until we 
heard the red squirrel sing — and even then to 
wait until we heard the striped squirrel sing, 
you would have saved us from this danger," the 
older sister said. 

*^0h, well, someone will be passing soon and 
will help us down," the younger sister an- 
swered. She did not dream that they would 
have any difficulty in getting down from the tall 
pine tree. 

They called to one after another of the Indi- 
ans who passed by — the Moose, the Bear and the 
Marten; but no one paid the least attention to 
their cries. At last the Badger happened that 
way; and when the Weasels called to him, he 
stopped, thinking there might be an opportunity 
for some sport. 

171 



172 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

One thing he did not know, however, and that 
was that the Weasels had gained wisdom by 
experience, and were not above playing a trick 
of their own. 

Now the Weasel girls had promised to marry 
anyone who would rescue them, but they had 
no intention of doing this. So they planned to 
deceive the merry Badger. The elder sister 
took off her hair-string, and tied it in a great 
many knots among the twigs of the tree, tan- 
gling it until it would seem a week's work to 
unwind it. 

When the Badger had very politely climbed 
the tree, and had taken the younger Weasel girl 
down, he came back for the elder sister. When 
she was safely on the ground, she said: 

*^I thank you, and now will you be kind 
enough to go up the tree again, and get my 
hair-string which is caught in the branches? I 
prize it very much, and it would break my heart 
if it were lost or broken ; so you must untie it 
very carefully, and while you are gone my sis- 
ter and I will build a beautiful wigwam, and we 
will furnish it as you never saiv a wigwam 
furnished before J' 

This the Badger soon found to be true. He 
went up the tree after the hair-string, and the 
Weasels set to work to make their wigwam. 
Now the Weasel girls happened to be friends 
of many strange creatures: the Thorns, the 



ANIMAL STORIES 173 

Burrs, the Briers, and the Hornets — and all 
other kinds of Insects with wings and stings, 
and they knew all the sharp-edged Flints of the 
country, too. 

So, when the bower was built, it had in it for 
furniture: — a hornet's nest for a bed, thorns 
for a carpet, sharp flints for a floor, and an 
ant's nest for a seat. 

Now it took the Badger until dark to untie the 
hair-string, work as hard as he could. And he 
was so tired and hungry that the thought of the 
warm wigwam pleased him. But he had no 
sooner entered than the thorns pierced his face, 
and the flints cut his feet, so that he howled 
with pain. Then he heard a voice which seemed 
to be that of the younger Weasel, crying: 

**Go to my sister over there.'' When he 
tried to go, he stepped into an ant hill, and the 
stinging they gave him was worse than the 
scratches of the Briers. Then near him he 
heard another voice, which he thought was the 
older Weasel, saying: 

^ ^ Go to my sister over there. ' ' When he tried 
to plunge through the darkness, not knowing 
where he was going, he fell upon the hornets' 
nest— and this was the worst of all. 

The Badger now saw that the Weasels were 
not in the wigwam at all, but were outside, ply- 
ing their magic. He knew that he had been 
treated as he loved to treat other people. This 



174 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

made him all the more furious ; he who had the 
very worst temper of all beasts and men was 
never so angry before! He saw the tracks of 
the Weasels, and he pursued them as they fled 
through the thick forest in the dark night. 

The Weasel girls ran all night with the Bad- 
ger after them; and in the morning they came 
to a broad river which they could not cross. 
But on the edge of the water stood a great 
Crane. 

*'0h, Uncle," they begged, hastening to him; 
*^we are running away from an enemy. Please 
do take us over at once!'' 

But the Crane was a vain old fellow, and 
coveted praise for his good looks. 

''I never work without pay," he said. ^'You 
must at least acknowledge that I have a fine 
form and a beautiful robe. Surely I have 
straight, smooth feathers." 

''Indeed, indeed!" they answered, "that is 
true enough! Our uncle has beautiful straight 
feathers." 

*' Confess also that I have a beautiful, long 
straight neck," the old Crane said. 

''Oh," answered the Weasels, "our Uncle has 
a marvellously long and straight neck." 

"Acknowledge that my legs are beautifully 
straight," the Crane now demanded. 

"True, indeed," they answered. "Our 
Uncle has wonderfully long and straight legs." 



ANIMAL STORIES 175 

The old Crane's vanity and conceit were sat- 
isfied by this time, and he stretched out his 
neck until it reached the bank on the other 
side of the river. Then the two Weasel girls 
scampered over the bridge — and away into 
safety ! 

The Weasel girls had no sooner reached the 
other bank, then the Badger dashed down to 
the shore in pursuit. 

**Ho! Take me across the river, and hurry 
about it!'' he commanded the Crane. 

Now the Crane had been so pleased and had 
been made so proud by the soft words of the 
Weasels that he was in no mind to be spoken 
to rudely. 

^'I will take you across," he said to the Bad- 
ger," ^*if you will bear witness to my beauty. 
Are not my legs straight?" 

*^Yes," said the Badger, '^they are straight 
and beautifully painted.'^ 

Now the Crane did not like the colour of his 
legs, so he was not very much pleased with the 
Badger's remark. 

**And are not my feathers very smooth and 
fine?" he next demanded. 

*^Yes, smooth and fine — What a pity though 
they are so mildewed and dusty ! 

* ^ And what about my straight neck ? ' ' 

^^Yes, your neck is ivonderfully straight, as 
straight as this!" said the Badger; and pick- 



176 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ing up a crooked stick he bent it and crumpled 
it from end to end. 

Of course the Crane understood all this ill- 
temper and insincerity, but he did not say a 
word. He meekly stretched his neck until his 
head touched the opposite bank, and the Badger 
sprang upon this bridge the Crane had made. 
But when he was out in the stream, where it 
was deepest and most dangerous, the Crane 
shook himself, and in a moment the Badger was 
whirling round and round in the water like a 
chip of wood. In a moment more he was dashed 
against a rock, and then he was thrown high 
and dry upon the shore, quite dead except for 
his magical backbone, which only waited to be 
spoken to, when it would have the power to call 
its body to life again. 



HOW THE CULLOO PUNISHED THE 
BADGER 

AFTER the ferr^mian, the Crane, had pun- 
ished the Badger for his rudeness, the 
Badger's body lay helpless upon the rocks until 
two little boys of the Culloo family happened 
along. 

' ' Halloa ! ' ' they cried. ' ' What is this ? ' ' 

As soon as they spoke, the magical backbone 
gave new life to the body, and up jumped the 
Badger alive and well again, and as bent upon 
mischief as ever. 

The Badger now pretended that he belonged 
to the Culloo tribe, too, and was very friendly. 
He induced the two boys to teach him a lullaby, 
and asked to try their bows. As if by accident 
he broke the bows in small pieces, and then he 
directed the boys to the other side of the river 
by a round-about way to find their play-fellows 
for whom they were searching. 

After the Culloo boys were safely away, the 
Badger went to their home, where he found no 
one but their mother. He told her that he was 
a Culloo, but she did not believe him ; and even 
when he sang a Culloo lullaby, 

177 



178 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

"u4 seal shin strap, 
A shoulder strap,'* 

she would not be imposed upon. The Badger, 
seeing this, suddenly seized her and bound her. 
Then after he had eaten as much venison as 
he could, he started out upon his journey in 
search of the Weasel girls. 

Soon afterward the little Culloo boys reached! 
home, and there they found their mother bound 
and helpless. 

**Who has done this wicked deedf they 
cried. 

**A Badger was here, and he tried to make 
me believe that he belonged to our tribe. He 
even sang one of our lullabys to me ; and when 
I would not b-elieve him, he seized me and bound 
me.'' 

*^Why, he is the very person who met us, and 
said that he was a Culloo," they cried. **He 
learned that song from us, and then he broke 
our bows, and sent us away around to the other 
side of the river.'' 

While they were talking, they had untied the 
mother. 

* * Now we will pursue that Badger and avenge 
his insults," they said. 

They followed after the Badger, and b^ing 
of the bird tribe, they could travel much faster 
than he could, and soon overtook him. But all 



ANIMAL STORIES 179 

they could do was to snatch his mittens, when 
the Badger slipped away under cover. Then 
the boys returned to their wigwam, and soon 
an uncle, Kakakooch, the Crow, arrived. He 
hurried after the Badger, and succeeded in 
snatching his cap. 

* ' Thank you ! ' ' said the Badger. * * You have 
done me a great favour. I have been getting 
quite warm, and now I feel much better.'' 

Soon after, another relative, Kitpoo, the 
eagle, arrived. He too started in pursuit, and 
managed to get the Badger's coat. 

'*0h, thank you! Thank you!" called back 
the Badger. '^I was just wishing that my 
brother were here to take my coat off for me." 

Then came the giant Culloo, and he vowed 
that he would punish the Badger well for all 
his mischief. He caught him by his back, and 
carried him up to the top of a high cliff, up to 
the very top of the sky itself, and set him down. 

The Badger could look down upon his native 
land, and it was so far away that it looked 
smooth and green like a wigwam newly car- 
peted with fir boughs. The Badger did not feel 
easy in his mind, by any means, but he always 
turned everything into sport. So he began to 
sing, 

^^Our country now lost, 
Seems clearly to us, 
As though it were all spread with boughs. 



180 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 



Hei, ho, he hum! 

Hei, ho, he, hum! 

Our country, now lost, 

Seems now to us. 

To be blue, like the clear, blue sky/' 

Now the Badger might sing and make sport 
if he pleased. The Culloo had not brought him 
there for fun, but to give him a dreadful pun- 
ishment for his mischief and his sins. So the 
giant Culloo seized him and threw him over the 
edge of the cliff, that he might be dashed to 
pieces upon the rocks below. 

Down headlong fell the Badger at a terrible 
rate, but even then his merriment did not fail 
him. His enemy, the Culloo, was closely pur- 
suing him. The Badger heard him coming, 
swishing his wings. 

'^Hurrah for a race!'' called out the Badger, 
making a noise to imitate the swish of the 
Culloo 's great wings. 

But as the Badger came nearer to the earth 
he grew sober. He was falling so fast, he 
knew that he would soon be dashed to pieces 
against the rocks. 

'^Oh, spare my poor backbone!" he shouted — 
and he said it just in time, for in another in- 
stant he was dashed into fragments against the 
rocks! Now the backbone of the Badger had 
been enchanted into safety by the magical cry. 



ANIMAL STORIES 181 

and so this lay unhurt upon the rocks. But it 
had no power of itself to put the body together 
again, until someone had spoken to it. 

It happened that the Badger fell in his own 
neighbourhood, and soon his brother came 
along to where the backbone lay. The younger 
brother at once recognised the backbone, and 
said: 

*^Pray, what is all this about? What in life 
are you doing heref^' At this the backbone 
began to speak, but instead of answering these 
questions of the brother, it called to the differ- 
ent parts of its body: 

'^Nooloogoon, ha! Ho! My leg, come 
hither!'^ And when the legs had done so, he 
called again: 

^^Npetun ogum ha ho!—M.j arm, ho! Come 
hither!'' 

At last every part of the body had come to- 
gether, and there the mischievous Badger stood, 
the veritable Badger that had been dashed to 
pieces by his fall from the sky. 



THE BADGER AND THE ROCK 
MAGICIAN 

WHEN the Badger had been rescued by his 
brother, after the CuUoo's punishment, 
the two walked along until they came to the top 
of a high mountain. Great rocks were lying 
all about. There was one rock so near the edge 
of the slope that it suggested an opportunity 
for sport to the Badger. He turned it over 
with a pole, and away it went rolling down the 
mountain. The two brothers ran after it, chal- 
lenging it to a race. By the time the rock had 
come to the foot of the mountain, the Badger 
and his brother had gained upon it; and soon 
they passed it and left it far behind. 

The Badger and his brother went on until 
they reached a good resting place, and there 
they prepared to spend the night. They built 
a fire and killed a musk-rat and began to cook 
it for their evening meal. While it was cook- 
ing, they heard a great noise that seemed to 
come from the direction of the rock which they 
had challenged to a race. They looked, and 
what should they see, hut the rock racing after 

182 



ANIIMAL STORIES 183 

them! Now, the rock was really a magician in 
disguise. He had been resting after his race 
down the mountain, and now he was challenging 
the Badger and his brother to go on. 

The Badger and his brother fled — but in 
vain ! They could not keep in front of the rock. 
On it came toward them, tearing down trees, 
and clearing a road for itself. They ran to a 
hill, but the hill could not help them; for up 
after them came the rock, and the Badger had 
time only to utter his magic words, ^'Noogoon 
ooskoodeskuck! Spare my backbone!'' when 
the rock struck him, and rolled over him and 
ground him to powder. 

The younger brother had managed to slip out 
of the way, and so was uninjured. When all was 
still, he returned to the place where his brother 
had been killed. There lay the backbone un- 
injured ! 

*^What are you lying there for?" he asked 
of it. 

Without pausing to answer the brother's 
question, the backbone began calling the differ- 
ent parts of his body together. 

**What, ho! My arms, come hither! Hoi 
My legs, my body! Come hither!" And soon 
the Badger was as alive as ever. He stood up 
and looked around in amazement. 

**What have I been doing here?" he asked 
his brother. 



184 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

'^Why, don't you remember? The great 
stone over there pursued you and destroyed 
you," the brother replied. 

^^Oh, did her' said the Badger. ^^Then I 
will destroy him." 

So the Badger and his brother attacked the 
rock. They worked over it with fire and ham- 
mer; and after many days it was reduced to 
powder. They blew the powder into the air, 
and instantly it was transformed into black 
flies, all retaining the hatred and spite of the 
old rock. They attacked men and bit them 
most viciously, in retaliation for having been 
conquered by them. 



HOW THE BADGER MADE THE MAG- 
ICAL FIRE 

ONE cold day in winter, the Badger — who 
was also a Wolverine, or a Racoon, just as 
he pleased — set out npon a journey. That 
night he spent in the lodge of the Chief of the 
Wolves. When the Badger was about to start 
npon his journey again, the Wolf Chief said to 
him, 

'^ Uncle, you have still three more days to 
travel, in a land where there is neither wigwam 
nor fire; and it will be poor camping without 
a fire. Now, I have a great charm by which 
I can give you three fires, but no more. Yet 
these will do, one for each night, until you 
reach your journey's end. Gather small sticks 
and place them together, as boys do when they 
make wigwams for sport. Then jump over 
them again and again until a blaze springs up 
through the sticks." 

As the Badger travelled on through the snow, 
he could not help thinking about his secret of 
the fire, which no one but the wolves and him- 
self knew. He wondered whether it were really 

185 



186 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

true, for he trusted no one, being so deceitful 
himself. 

At last, he was so curious to try the charm 
that, although he had made but a half -hour's 
journey, he could wait no longer. So he gath- 
ered his sticks together and arranged them as 
the Wolf Chief had directed. Then he jumped 
over them; and lo! At once his sticks were 
blazing with fire. 

The Badger stopped to warm himself by the 
fire, and then went on his way again. Very 
soon he began to feel cold, and he thought how 
pleasant it would be to have a warm fire. So 
he placed sticks together again, and jumped 
over them; and as before there arose a blaze. 
The Badger was pleased. But this was his sec- 
ond fire, and he had still three cold nights before 
he would reach the end of his journey. 

He went on a little further, and although it 
was only afternoon, he began to think about his 
third fire. 

''Now, who knows," he thought, ''but the 
weather may take a turn to a thaw, and give us 
a warm night? The clouds look as though the 
wind would soon be southwesterly. Have I not 
heard my grandmother say that such a red 
colour meant something of the sort? Any- 
how, I will take a chance, for I need a fire.'' 

The Badger again arranged the sticks and 
jumped over them, and soon was enjoying a fine 




By permission, copyright 'by Funk & Wagnalls. 
Bado-er making magical fire as the wolf had directed 



ANIMAL STORIES 187 

blaze. This was his last fire, and it was not 
yet the first night. 

Now, when after nightfall the Badger came 
to his first camping place, it grew cold in earn- 
est. Thinking that what was good once ought 
to be good again, he gathered more sticks and 
arranged them just as he had done the others. 
He began to jump over them ; but there was no 
fire. He kept on jumping, and when he had 
jumped twenty or thirty times, there arose a 
little smoke. He jumped and jumped; but try 
as hard as he might, he could make no blaze 
appear. 

Still the Badger kept on jumping, and he 
vowed that he would jump until he had made a 
blaze or he would burst! So he kept on fast 
and furious, but not even one spark could he 
raise. At last the Badger was so tired that he 
fell down in the snow, and he was soon frozen 
to death. 

But the Badger must have come to life again, 
somehow, for we still have the spirit of Evil 
with us. 

And kespeadooksit — the story ends. 



FAIEY TALES 



THE SILLY SON 

THERE was once a king, wlio owned a 
large farm. On this farm a man lived 
and paid rent to the king. This man had but 
one child, a son, whom every one thought half- 
witted, because he was always doing silly, stupid 
things. 

After a while the father died; but, as he had 
left a little money, the mother was able to pay 
the rent for a time. At last there came a day 
when there was no money, and very soon the 
rent must be paid to the king. The mother said 
to her son: 

**The king will call in a day or two for his 
money and we have none for him. What shall 
we do?" 

**I am sure I donH know," said the boy. 

So the mother chose one of their finest cows, 
and sent the boy to market to sell it. Jack 
started off with the cow, and as he passed a 
house standing near the road, a man on the 
steps called out to him : 

*^ Where are you going with that cow?" 

**I am driving her to market to sell her," 
said Jack. 

191 



192 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**Come in and rest yourself," said the man, 
pleasantly; and Jack was so tired that he 
went in and sat down. 

*^I want you to give me that cow/' said the 
man. 

*'I can't do it/' said Jack, ^^but I shall be 
glad to sell her to you, for we are in need of 
money." 

*'0h, I will not buy the cow," the stranger 
answered, *'but I would like you to give her to 
me." This Jack stoutly refused to do. 

Then the man asked : 

* ^ Are you hungry ? Will you not have some- 
thing to eat?" 

Jack was always hungry ; so he said he would 
be very glad to have something to eat. 

The man set before him a small dish, and on 
the dish was a tiny piece of food. Jack looked 
at the food, and at last tasted it. He found it 
very good, and began to eat it. He ate and ate, 
until he cared for no more. Still the food on 
the tiny dish had grown no less. Then Jack 
tried to stop eating, and found he could not 
do that. He had to eat whether he would or 
not. At last he became frightened, and called 
out to the man : 

*^Tdke away your food; I can't stop eating 
itl" 

* * Give me your cow and I will, ' ' the stranger 
answered. 



FAIRY TALES 193 

'*I will do nothing of the kind," said Jack. 
*'Ta]ce away your food!" 

*^Then eat away until you have enough," 
said the man; and eat poor Jack did until he 
began to think that he would die. He ate until 
he could scarcely breathe, and then he cried out : 

*^Only take away your food, and I will give 
you the cow." So the man took the cow, and 
ra return gave Jack the tiny dish of food to 
take away with him. 

Jack went home with the magical food in his 
pocket;— but he had lost his cow. As soon as 
his mother saw him coming, she called out: 

*^How much did you get for the cow, Jack?" 

* * Oh, mother, I have been robbed of the cow I ' ' 
and then he told her about the stranger. 

''You stupid boy, you are a thousand fools!" 
she cried, and took up the fire shovel to strike 
him. 

Jack dodged her, and taking a bit of the food 
from his pocket, he managed to put it into her 
mouth as she went by him. She stopped, 
charmed by the wonderful taste. 

''What is that delicious taste?" she cried. 
Jack gave her the dish, and she began eating 
greedily, while he looked on. Soon she had 
taken enough, and then too much! 

"Take away the platter, Jack," she said, 
"for I cannot stop eating." 

"Will you beat me, then?" he asked. 



194 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*^Yes, I will, and heat you soundly when 1 
have a chance!'' she cried, all the more angry 
now she saw that Jack had caught her in a 
trap. 

*^Very well, then, eat away," said Jack. 

There was nothing for her to do but to eat 
away as fast as she could, until she could bear 
it no longer. Then she cried out: 

^^ Jack, if you will only take this food away, 
I promise you I will not beat you.'' So Jack 
took away the food. 

The next morning Jack was sent off to mar- 
ket with another cow. As he passed the house 
where he had stopped the day before, he found 
the same man waiting for him on the doorstep. 
This time Jack was not to be caught. 

*'Be off with you, you evil spirit," he cried. 
*'You robbed me yesterday; you will not do it 
again to-day." 

The man took off his belt, and threw it down 
in the middle of the road. Instantly the belt 
sprang up around both Jack and the cow. It 
bound the cow's legs fast to her body, and 
bound poor Jack to the side of the cow. There 
in the road they lay, unable to stir. 

'^ Untie me!'' cried Jack, struggling to break 
the belt. 

**Give me your cow and I will," said the 
stranger. 

' ^ I will do no such thing, ' ' said Jack. 



FAIRY TALES 195 

*^Then lie there until you do," said the man. 

The belt began to squeeze Jack and his cow 
together so tightly that they could scarcely 
breathe. At last he gasped: 

''Only let me go, and I will give you the cow.'* 
So the man took this cow too, and in return 
for her gave the belt to Jack. 

Jack went home, and told his mother that the 
same man had robbed him again. Of course 
she was more angry than before. She called 
him all the bad names she could think of, and 
said she would beat him and kill him, and ran 
to get the axe. Jack took off his belt and threw 
it upon the floor. Instantly it sprang up and 
bound the poor woman hand and foot, so that 
she cried out for help. 

*^Will you beat me then?" asked Jack. 

''Indeed and I will! Untie me, you scamp r* 
she cried. 

The belt began to squeeze her all the tighter, 
and when she could do no more than gasp for 
breath, she promised Jack that she would not 
beat him, if he would only untie her. So Jack 
untied her, and she kept her word. 

But the rent was not paid yet. So the mother 
took another cow, and started Jack off to mar- 
ket with her. Away went Jack, driving the cow 
before him; but when he came to the house, 
there was the same man waiting for him again. 

* * Give me your cow, ' ' called the man. 



196 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**6ive you my cow indeed!'^ cried Jack. 
*^I will give you a stone on your head instead.'* 
Jack picked up a large stone, and was just about 
to throw it, when the man pulled out a tiny 
flute from his pocket and began to play upon 
it. The stone dropped from Jack's hand. His 
arms and his legs began to twitch, and before he 
knew tvhat he teas about, he began to dance. 
The cow joined him, and both together danced 
away with all their might. 

^^ Hold I Hold!'' cried Jack. ^^Stop your 
music, and let me catch my breath." 

^'Give me your cow and I will," said the 
man. 

''I will not do it!" answered Jack. 

*'Then dance away," said the man, and poor 
Jack danced until he was ready to drop from 
fatigue, and was glad to give up the cow to 
have the music stopped. The man took the 
cow, and gave Jack the flute. Jack went home 
without his cow or his money, and was obliged 
to tell his mother for the third time that he had 
been trapped. 

This time her anger knew no bounds. She 
vowed that she would kill him, and seized an 
iron to strike him. But Jack whipped out his 
magical flute and began to play as if his life 
depended upon it, as indeed it did. The old 
woman was charmed by the music and danced 
and danced, scolding away all the while, telling 



FAIRY TALES 197 

Jack to cease his playing so that she might 
stop. But all Jack would say was : 

^^Will you beat me, then? Will you beat me, 
thenr' 

*^ Indeed I will! Indeed I will!'' his mother 
kept crying. Soon she was so tired that she 
could cry no longer; she could scarcely keep 
on her feet, but swayed to and fro. At last she 
fell and struck her head upon the floor — and 
then she was ready to promise not to beat Jack, 
if he would only stop his playing. 

But all this while the rent had not been paid. 

One day the mother said, ^^ To-day the king 
will be here. What can we do?" 

''I will pay him," said Jack. **You need 
think no more about it. ' ' He took some earthen 
dishes and broke them until they were in small 
pieces, and put them into a bag. He packed the 
bag as full as it would hold, and sealed the 
strings with tar. 

Soon the king and two servants came to the 
door. The frightened old woman ran and hid. 
But Jack went to meet them, and asked them in. 
Then he brought in the bag, and placed it upon 
the table, making it rattle and chink like a bag 
of money. Then he brought his little magic 
platter and said to the king : 

*'My father, before he died, told me to set this 
most delicious food before you, when you came 
to the house." 



198 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The king fell into the trap. He tasted the 
food, and then began eating heartily. The ser- 
vants became bewitched, too, and began to eat 
the magical food. 

Meantime Jack made believe that he was pre- 
paring to count the money. He hurried about, 
going from one room to another, as though he 
had forgotten something. 

All this time the king and his servants were 
eating from the dish as fast as they could. 
Soon they began to feel that they had eaten 
enough, but they could neither stop nor push 
the magical platter away. They called to Jack 
to come and take away the food, but Jack was 
too husy to notice them or hear them. At last, 
when they were ready to fall over in their dis- 
tress, the king said: 

* ' Jack, if you will only take the platter away, 
I will give you the rent, and the house, and the 
stock, and the farm, and everything here that is 
mine. ' ' 

Jack was ready to let them go on these terms, 
and the king and his servants were glad indeed 
to leave everything for the widow and Jack as 
they had promised. 

When they had gone, the old woman came 
out of her hiding-place, and this time she 
had only words of praise for her stupid 
son. 

*^Now that you will be able to get along with- 



FAIRY TALES 199 

out me/^ said Jack, ''I will go away to seek my 
fortune.'* 

So Jack went away to seek his fortune. He 
travelled on for a long time, and at last he came 
to a town where a king lived. The king had 
one beautiful daughter who had many suitors; 
and he had promised her hand to the first man 
who could make her laugh three times. 

Now it happened that Jack was very ill- 
shaped, ugly and awkward. He strolled about 
the village listening to all the gossip, and at 
last he went to the king's palace among all the 
suitors and visitors. 

**Why are you hereT' the servants asked him. 
At first he would make no answer, but when 
they asked him again, he said: 

^'Is it true that the princess will marry the 
first man who will make her laugh three times f 

^^Yes,'' they said, ^^it is true.'' 

*^Then," said Jack, *^I will stay." 

So Jack was taken into the room where the 
princess was waiting with all the suitors and 
judges of the trial. At once he took out his 
magical dish, and asked the princess to taste 
the food. She took a bit on the tip of her 
tongue, and when she found it so delicious she 
began to eat, and offered some to all the others. 
To everybody's astonishment, the food upon 
the plate grew no less, although they all ate un- 
til they thought they could eat no more. Then 



200 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

they tried to stop, but no one could, and no one 
could even push the plate away. So they cried 
to Jack to take the food away. 

*^I will upon one condition," said Jack. 
"The princess must laugh.' ^ 

The princess did not know what to do. She 
had expected to laugh from pleasure, not from 
pain. 

^'I will not do it,'' she said. 

*'Very well, then," said Jack, ^^you may all 
go on eating. ' ' So they were obliged to eat and 
eat all the faster, until they were ready to die 
with pain. Finally, when the princess could en- 
dure it no longer, she began to laugh as heartily 
as she could, thinking: 

*^He will not make me laugh a second time.'^ 

As soon as Jack had taken away the magical 
food, all the suitors flew at him to drive him 
out of the palace. Quick as a flash he untied 
his magical belt, and threw it upon the floor. 
Instantly the princess and all the suitors were 
bound together in a bundle, and lying in a help- 
less heap upon the floor. 

** Untie us !" cried the princess. 

'* Laugh then," said Jack. 

**I will not laugh," said the princess. 

* * Very well then, ' ' said Jack, * ^ stay where you 
are." The belt began to squeeze harder than 
ever, until the suitors and the princess could 
bear the pain no longer. Then the princess be- 



FAIRY TALES 201 

gan to laugh. As soon as she had done this the 
belt was loosened and all were free. 

No sooner were the suitors on their feet again 
than they all drew their weapons and rushed at 
Jack to kill him. But before they could reach 
him, he had whipped out his flute and begun to 
play. They stopped and commenced dancing; 
princess, suitors, umpires, guards, — all were 
whirling in a merry maze — all charmed by the 
music of the magical flute. 

They danced and they danced until they 
thought they could dance no longer; and then 
they tried to stop. But they could not; they 
must dance all the faster. 

^^Stop your playing!'' they shouted. 

^*I will," said Jack, **when the princess 
laughs.'' 

But the princess was determined not to laugh 
this time, come what might, come what may. 
She danced and danced, faster and faster, all 
the time trying to stop, until at last she could 
stand no longer, and fell, striking her head upon 
the floor. Then she was ready to yield to her 
fate. She began to laugh heartily; the music 
ceased and all stopped dancing. The umpires 
withdrew to decide the case — and Jack walked 
away. 

When the king heard that a stranger had come 
to the court, and that he had made the princess 



202 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

laugh, lie sent for him. But when Jack ap- 
peared before him so ugly and stupid-looking, 
the king was so digusted that he declared then 
and there that Jack should not marry the prin- 
cess. 

But of course it must not be known abroad 
that the king had broken his promise — so he 
planned to kill Jack, and to put someone else 
in his place. Jack was seized and thrown into a 
den with wild animals. The animals leaped 
upon him to devour him, but Jack threw down 
his magical belt, which quickly wound itself 
about them, binding their legs fast to their 
bodies — while Jack sat down quietly to see what 
would happen next. 

Meantime the word was passed about that a 
suitor had won the hand of the princess, and 
that the marriage would be celebrated that very 
evening. All went merrily until the ceremony 
was about to begin. Then something strange 
happened. The bridegroom began to dance and 
jump about like a madman. He leaped into the 
air, tearing at his face and clothes, and then 
fled from the room. The terrified princess 
screamed, and ran about, calling: 

*^Heismad! The bridegroom is mad I*' 

Another bridegroom was now sent forward by 
the king, but as soon as he took his place besidd 
the princess to be married, he too began jump- 
ing about like a madman, just as the other had 



FAIRY TALES 203 

done, and fled from the room and was seen no 
more. 

Now all this was the work of Jack and his 
flute. The madness that had overcome the suit- 
ors had been caused by hosts of invisible hornets 
which had entered through the keyhole, and had 
stung them from head to foot. While all the 
preparations were being made in the palace, 
Jack had sat in the den among the wild animals, 
playing away upon his flute as hard as ever he 
could. It was one of the powers of the magical 
flute, when the owner was hard pressed, to sum- 
mon hornets to attack an enemy, and now Jack 
had been obliged to use this power. 

At last the king, who all the time suspected 
what was happening, was willing to admit that 
he was beaten. He felt sure that Jack must 
still be alive and exercising his magic. He sent 
messengers to the den for him. When they 
reached the place they found the animals all tied 
together by the magical belt, and there was a 
heavy mist all about so they could not see Jack. 
The messengers were frightened and went back 
to the king and told him what they had seen. 

**Ah!^' said the king, ^4t is just as I thought. 
The young man is a magician. Go again, and 
if you can find him, bring him to me.'* 

So the messengers went back to the den, and 
this time they found Jack; but it was not the 
same Jack, for he had changed hia appearance 



204 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

so that they scarcely knew him. He was «<) 
handsome that they now admired him as much 
as they had despised him before. 

The wedding was celebrated with great 
splendour. Jack built a beautiful palace for 
himself and the princess, and when the old king 
died, Jack became king and ruled in his place. 



THE PRINCE WHO WENT SEEKING HIS 
SISTERS 

ONCE upon a time there lived a king who 
was so very rich that he built a house to 
keep his gold in. There was nothing else kept 
there, but pieces of gold. Soldiers guarded it 
night and day. Whenever the king needed 
money, he would go to the money house and get 
it from the soldiers. 

It happened that the king became very fond 
of wine. He drank all of his own wine, and 
then he began to buy more. Of course he used 
a great deal of gold to pay for the wine ; and he 
took so much of it that the queen at last went to 
the soldiers and said, 

^^The gold you are guarding really does not 
belong to the king. He holds it in trust. It is 
the people 's money. In time of famine it should 
be used to buy grain and com to keep our 
people from starving. The king is using it for 
himself ; he must not. So when he comes again 
and asks you for more gold, you must tell him 
that it is all gone." 

The next time the king asked the soldiers for 

205 



206 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

gold, they told him there was no more gold ; he 
had used it all. 

The king did not know ivhat to do. He must 
have his wine! He must have gold! What 
should he do? He went out into a field, nearby, 
and walked about, puzzling over his trouble, 
and all the time he was longing for his wine. 
Suddenly a stranger stood before him. 

*'What do you wish?^' asked the king. 

**I should like to have your eldest daughter 
for my wife,'' the stranger answered. He was 
a tall, well-dressed man, and looked as though 
he might be very wealthy. 

*^You may have her for your wife," the king 
said, *'but you must give me much gold for her." 

' ' How much gold shall I give you ? ' ' the stran- 
ger asked. 

''Oh, a cart full of gold. Bring it here to me 
in the morning, and you may have my daugh- 
ter," the king said. 

' ' I will be at this spot with a cart full of gold 
in the morning; but I must make one condition 
— ^you must not ask where I am going to take 
your daughter. You must not try to find her," 
the stranger said. 

''Well," said the king, who was becoming 
anxious to get the gold, "I will make you the 
promise. I will bring my daughter to you here 
in the morning." 

So the next morning the king took his 



FAIRY TALES 207 

daughter to the field, and there they found the 
stranger waiting with his cart full of money. 
The stranger gave the gold to the king, and 
went away with the beautiful princess, and no 
one knew where he had taken her. The king 
was so glad to have all this gold for wine that 
he did not think much about his daughter whom 
he had sold. He thought only of what the cart 
full of gold would buy; and he supposed it 
would last a long, long time. 

So the king began to drink more than ever, 
and to spend his money as fast as he pleased. 
What was his surprise one day to find his gold 
nearly gone; and very soon, it was all gone! 

The king walked out into the fields once more, 
thinking what he could do. And there he met 
another stranger, just as prosperous appearing 
as the other had been. 

**Will you give me your second daughter!'' 
the stranger asked. 

^'I will, if you will give me a cart full of 
gold,'' the king said. 

*^I will give you a cart full of gold; but it 
must be on the condition that you promise not 
to ask where we are going. I will bring the gold 
here to this spot in the morning, ' ' the stranger 
said. 

The selfish king agreed to this ; and the next 
morning he took his second daughter, who was 
even more beautiful than the eldest, and they 



208 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

went out to meet the stranger. The stranger 
was waiting for them with a cart full of gold 
as he had promised. Soon the king was has- 
tening home with his money, and the beautiful 
princess was taken away, no one knew where. 

Now this cart full of gold did not last the 
king even as long as the other had. And very 
soon he was out in the fields again, wondering 
what he could do. For by this time he could 
think of nothing but his wine. 

Again, as before, a stranger stood before him. 
He was as well dressed and as pleasing as the 
others. 

^^Will you give me your youngest daughter 
for my wife?'^ he asked the king. 

'*Yes,'' said the king at once, ^4f you will 
give me a cart full of gold." 

**I will," said the stranger, *^on one condition. 
You must promise that you will not ask where 
I am going to tahe her. Come to this spot in 
the morning with your daughter, and I will be 
here with the cart full of gold." 

Early the next morning the king hurried out 
to the field with his youngest daughter, the 
most beautiful daughter of all. The queen 
begged of him to leave her this one daughter; 
but the king was so eager for gold, with which 
he could buy wine, that he would not listen to 
her pleadings. 

When the king reached the field with his 



FAIRY TALES 209 

daughter, they found the stranger with his cart 
full of money waiting for them. The king 
eagerly took the money, and hastened away ; and 
soon the beautiful princess had gone — no one 
knew where. 

This time the king drank more wine than ever 
before, and his money disappeared faster and 
faster. In a little while it was all gone. There 
was nothing more with which to buy pleasure. 
And all the while the queen mother went about 
with a very sad heart. She never heard from 
her daughters; she did not know where they 
were — whether they were alive or dead. 

But at last the queen had a baby boy, and 
then she was not so lonely. The days went 
quickly, and it was but a little while when the 
baby could walk; and soon he was going to 
school and playing with the other boys. 

One day, when some of his playmates were 
angry at the little prince, they called out to 
him: 

' ^ Your father is a wicked king. He sold your 
sisters for gold, and he spent the gold for wine. ' ^ 

The little prince ran home to his mother as 
fast as he could, and asked: 

**0h, mother, did I ever have three sisters? 
The boys at school said that my father sold my 
sisters for gold. Is this true?" The mother 
did not wish the boy to know how wicked his 
father was, and so she tried to deceive him. 



210 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

'^All those tales are false, my son; you must 
not believe what the bad boys say, ' ' she replied. 

But when the boys said to him again : * * Your 
father sold your sisters for gold/' the little 
prince believed them, and went to his mother 
and said: 

^'Mother, tell me about my sisters. Tell me 
why my father sold them for gold.'' 

*^I will tell you," the mother said. The sto- 
ries are all true. You did have three sisters, 
and your father did sell them for drink." 

^^ Where are they now?" asked the prince 
eagerly. 

^*I do not know where they are," said the 
queen. ^'I have never heard from them since 
they went away. ' ' 

*^0h, mother! I will go in search of my sis- 
ters/^ the little prince cried. 

*^It will be of no use, my son; no one can find 
them," the mother answered. 

^^But I will find them, and I will set out to- 
morrow," he said. 

So, early the next morning the prince set out 
in his chariot with one servant. They travelled 
a long, long way until they came to a river, a 
broad, smooth river in a great forest. When 
they had forded the river the prince said : 

*'Now take the chariot back to my father; I 
will go on alone." The servant did as he was 
told, and the prince plunged into the forest 



FAIRY TALES 211 

alone. He had not gone far, when suddenly he 
came upon three robbers, who were so busy 
talking that they did not see him until he was 
close beside them. They seemed to be quarrel- 
ling ; so the prince went up to them and said : 

*'What is the trouble? Why do you dis- 
pute r' 

*^We have robbed a man of a coat, a pair of 
shoes and a sword, ' ' they answered. ' ' The coat 
can make the wearer invisible; the shoes will 
take him wherever he wishes to go, with the 
greatest swiftness ; and the sword will do what- 
ever the owner commands it to do. We cannot 
agree how they should be divided. That is why 
we dispute.'* 

^^Why, let me decide that for you,'' the prince 
replied. ''I am sure I can do it fairly." 

The robbers were quite willing to let the 
prince decide how the coat and the shoes and 
the sword should be divided ; so the prince said, 

**Now all of you stand with your backs to me, 
one in front of the other. Stand there quietly 
until sunset and then turn around. I shall have 
your question decided by that time." 

As soon as the robbers had placed themselves 
as he had directed, — one in front of the other, 
with their backs turned to him — the prince 
quickly took off his coat, and slipped on the 
magical coat; and then he found that what the 
robbers had said was true — ^he had become in- 



212 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

visible. Then he took off his own shoes, and 
put on the shoes of swiftness, and grasped the 
sword in his hand. 

The robbers stood just as the prince had told 
them, and at sunset they turned to see how he 
had divided the spoils; when, ivhat was their 
surprise to find that no prince was to he seen; 
and there was no magical coat, or shoes, or 
sword ! 

When the prince had taken the sword, he 
wished the shoes to carry him to the door of his 
eldest sister's house. He had no sooner made 
this wish then he felt himself being carried 
through the air, and as though in an instant, he 
stood in front of a large, beautiful mansion. He 
knocked, and at once a woman opened the door. 
The prince knew that she was his eldest sister, 
whom he was seeking. 

*^I am your brother," he said; **I have been 
seeking you." 

*^But you cannot be my brother," she replied ; 
*'for I have no brother." 

But when the prince began to tell her about 
her father, the king, and how her two younger 
sisters had been sold for gold, and how he had 
been born years afterward, and how he had now 
come in search of his sisters, she knew that what 
he said was trae, and welcomed him gladly, 

*^But where is your husband?" he asked. 

**He is out fishing," said the sister; **he 



FAIRY TALES 213 

knows that you are here and he is coming 
ashore.'' 

The prince turned; he could see no boat on 
the water — but far out at sea was a whale spout- 
ing and coming toward the shore. 

*' There is my husband," she said. **When 
he goes out to sea he takes the form of a whale. 
When he comes ashore he will become a man." 

The prince was frightened, and begged his 
sister to hide him; but she told him that her 
husband would do him no harm. Soon he saw 
coming toward them from the shore a fine look- 
ing man, who called him brother-in-law, and 
gave him a cordial welcome. 

The prince stayed with his sister several 
days, and then he said he must start off in 
search of his second sister. His brother of- 
fered him money, but he said he had no need of 
money. When the time came for him to go, the 
brother walked with him ; and as he said good- 
bye, he put into the prince's hand a fish-scale. 

*'If you ever need me," he said, ''heat this 
fish-scale, and I will at once come to your as- 
sistance." 

The prince took the fish-scale and started upon 
his journey. When no one could see him, he 
put on the magical coat that would make him in- 
visible, and the shoes of swiftness. 

**Take me to the home of my second sister," 
he commanded the shoes of swiftness. 



214 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

In an instant, as it seemed, he stood before the 
house of his second sister, which was quite as 
grand as the first sister's. This sister opened 
the door in answer to his knock, and she too 
would not believe that he was her brother, for 
she knew nothing of what had happened since 
she was carried away. But when the prince 
told her all, just as he had told the eldest sis- 
ter, she, too, knew that he spoke the truth, and 
then she welcomed him. 

^' Where is my brother-in-law?" he asked. 

The sister pointed toward a great sheep, feed- 
ing in a distant pasture. 

^'That is he," she said; ^'he knows that you 
are here, and he will soon be home." 

As she spoke the sheep turned, and came 
bounding toward the house; and as he came 
near he suddenly took the form of a man, 
and the prince saw that he was as fine looking 
and as pleasant as the other brother-in-law had 
been. 

After a visit with this sister, the prince said 
that he must find his third sister. When he was 
offered money, he refused it ; but he very gladly 
accepted the lock of wool which his brother-in- 
law gave him. 

^'If you are ever in need of me, heat this 
wool," said the brother-in-law, **and I will at 
once be at your side." 

The prince started upon his journey, and 



FAIRY TALES 215 

when he was where no one could see him, he put 
on the magical coat and shoes again, and wished 
to be placed before the third sister's house. 

In a moment, as it seemed, he found himself 
in front of a grand house. He knocked at the 
door, and his sister opened it. She, like the 
others, did not know him, and would not believe 
him until he had told her about their father 
and mother. Then she was just as glad to see 
him as his other sisters had been. 

^'And where is my brother-in-law f the 
prince asked. 

The sister pointed toward a grey goose in a 
field nearby. 

^'That is my husband,'' she said; ^4ie turns 
himself into a grey goose whenever he wishes. 
He knows that you are here, and he will be 
home in a moment. ' ' 

The grey goose at once rose into the air and 
flew straight to them. When he touched the 
ground, he became a fine looking man. 

' ' I am glad you have come to us, my brother- 
in-law," he said to the prince. 

The prince visited his sister and brother-in- 
law a few days. He was now a young man, and 
his thoughts had begnn to turn to adventure. 
One morning he said to his sister : 

^^I must go now in search of adventures." 

The sister said: 

*^I know of a beautiful princess you might 



216 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

have for your wife, if you could win her; but 
the place is a great way off. ' ' 

^ * Only tell me where it is, and I will find it, ' ' 
the prince answered. 

The sister told him where he might find the 
city, and the brother offered him money for his 
journey. This time the prince accepted the 
money, and also the feather which the brother- 
in-law offered him in parting. 

*^If ever you are in need of me, only heat this 
feather, and I will at once come to help you,*' 
he said. 

The prince now started upon his long journey ; 
and when he came to a lonely place where he 
could not be seen by anyone, he put on the mag- 
ical coat and shoes, and wished to be placed 
near the city where the beautiful princess lived. 

At once, he stood near a small house. He 
entered and found two old women talking very 
earnestly together. They seemed to be in 
trouble. 

**Why are you so disturbed T^ he asked. 

** There is to be a royal wedding in the city 
to-morrow, '* they answered, looking very sad. 

*'But why should that make you so sad!'' he 
asked. 

One of the old women pointed to a high cliff 
across the sea. It was rainy and misty there, 
and the wind was blowing, and the water was 
beating up against the side of the cliff. 



FAIRY TALES 217 

"Over in that cliff a terrible ogre lives," she 
said. *^He steals away every bride just as soon 
as she is married. And no one can kill him; 
for he keeps his soul hidden away, no one knows 
where. To-morrow he will take our princess 
away, and we shall never see her again, for she 
will be a prisoner of the terrible ogre." 

The next day the royal wedding took place, 
and the beautiful princess was spirited away 
by the ogre, just as the two old women had said 
she would be. The prince went to the king and 
said: 

**If you will give me your youngest daughter 
for my wife, I can promise you that I will de- 
stroy the terrible ogre." 

The king wished to wait until the ogre had 
been killed, but the prince said: 

"No, the wedding must take place first." 

The king was so anxious to have the ogre de- 
stroyed, that he said the ceremony might take 
place at once. 

The prince warned the princess that she 
would be carried away by the ogre just as her 
sister had been, but that he would rescue her 
— so she should have no fear. Then the prin- 
cess was willing to marry the prince. 

The ceremony took place at once, and no 
sooner was it over than the princess was drawn 
away, by invisible hands, and in an instant she 
had become invisible too. 



218 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The prince at once prepared himself to follow 
her. He put on his magical coat and shoes, and 
holding the sword in his hand, he willed to be 
carried and placed in front of the ogre's cave. 
In an instant he found himself standing on a 
narrow ledge with a smooth wall of rock in front 
of him, and the waves dashing against the 
rocky cliff. With one hand he steadied himself 
upon his narrow foothold, and with the other 
held the magical sword and marked out on the 
rock the shape of a door. 

^'Door, open!^' he commanded. And at once 
the door which he had marked out rolled back, 
and the prince saw before him the ogre's cave. 
There were the many beautiful brides, and there 
was his own wife with the others. The prince 
stole behind her chair. Just at this moment 
the ogre started up. 

*' There is a wedding in the city!'' he cried, 
and disappeared. 

The prince leaned over his bride's shoulder, 
and whispered: 

^^Ask him where he keeps his soul." 

Then the ogre appeared before them with a 
bride he had just carried otf. 

** Where do you keep your soul?" the prin- 
cess asked. 

*^Now that is a very strange question," said 
the ogre. *^No one has ever asked me that be- 
fore, so I will tell you. I keep my soul in a cas- 



FAIRY TALES 219 

ket far out at sea, in a line from the door of the 
cave. This casket is inside six others, and each 
casket is locked — '' At that moment the ogre 
started and was off for another bride. 

^^ Ask him where he keeps the key," the prince 
whispered. 

At that moment the ogre entered the cave 
with a bride, and when he had placed her be- 
side the one whom he had captured just before, 
he took his seat beside the princess. 

''Will you answer another question f the 
princess asked. ''Will you tell me where you 
keep the keys of the casket?" 

"Now that is another strange question," the 
ogre said; "no one has ever asked me such a 
question as that; so I will tell you. The keys 
are in the sea, in a straight line between the 
cave and the casket." 

The prince waited to hear no more. He hur- 
ried out, and began to heat the fish-scale. At 
once a great whale appeared. It was the 
brother-in-law. The prince told him to get the 
casket and the keys from the sea. 

It took but a moment for the whale to find 
the casket and the keys and bring them back. 
Then the prince began opening the caskets. 
Six he opened easily, but the seventh casket 
had so small a key that it broke in the lock. 
There seemed to be no way to open it. Then 
the prince thought of his brother-in-law, the 



220 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

sheep. He heated the lock of wool, and at once 
the great sheep was before him. The sheep 
broke the lock with his horn, and then he opened 
the lid — when suddenly the soul flew out of the 
casket, and away — away! 

The prince heated the feather and soon 
there flew toward him the grey goose, who 
started off after the ogre's soul, and caught it 
in his beak. When he had brought it to the 
prince, he held it while the prince struck it 
again and again with his magical sword. And 
all this time the ogre inside the cave, who knew 
nothing of what was happening to his soul, was 
growing weaker and weaker, until he could not 
speak. Soon he could scarcely breathe — and 
then he died. 

Then the prince went back into the cave, and 
told the stolen brides that he must now go to 
the city to make ready a place for them, but 
that he would soon return and rescue them all. 

That very day the prince took all the brides 
back to the city, and soon each was in her own 
home. Then the prince went to the king's pal- 
ace with the princess, where they lived happily 
and were never troubled again by any terrible 
ogre. 



THE MAGICAL BELT 

ONCE upon a time there lived, in the forest, 
an old Indian with his wife and his son, 
who had passed about fifteen summers. 

This son often had dreams in which a voice 
warned him to do certain things. The boy al- 
ways followed the directions of the voice, and 
everything happened just as the dream fore- 
told. 

One night, the voice said to the boy in a 
dream : 

* ' To-morrow, follow the path through the for- 
est to the lake. There on the shore you will 
find a man taking the skin from a bull. If you 
can secure a strip of hide running along the 
back, make yourself a belt. This belt will have 
magical power and will help you to become a 
famous cattle doctor.'' 

The next day, the boy followed the directions 
of the voice. He went along the path through 
the forest until he reached the lake. There he 
saw a stranger taking the hide from a great 
bull. 

**What are you doing?" asked the boy. 

221 



222 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*^I am taking the hide from this bull," the 
stranger replied; ^'he died to-day." 

*^Will you let me have a strip from the back, 
over the backbone ? ' ^ the boy asked. 

^^Yes," the stranger said, ^^but I will need 
money for it." 

The boy had not thought of needing money 
to pay for the raw-hide. But he wanted to have 
that belt. The voice had said that he would be- 
come a great cattle-doctor; and this was just 
what he wished to be. 

^^I will ask my father for the money," he 
said to the stranger, and started off through the 
forest. 

^ ^ Oh, father, ' ' he said when he reached home, 
'^please give me enough money to buy a piece 
of raw-hide." 

*^Why do you want raw-hide, my son?" asked 
the father. 

Then the boy told his father about his dream, 
and about the voice. 

*'Tell the stranger that you have no money," 
said the father, ^^and ask him to give you the 
strip of raw-hide and say that you will give him 
the money for it when you get it." 

Back to the stranger the boy ran, and told 
him what his father had said. 

**But, I cannot do that," answered the man. 
*^ However, if you really want the strip of raw- 



FAIRY TALES 223 

hide, you may work for me a day and at the 
end of the day I will give it to you.'' 

^^Do let me work for you,'' said the boy, very 
happy at the thought of owning a magical belt. 

The very next day the boy worked for the 
stranger, and he did more work in that one day 
than an ordinary man could do in a week. At 
the end of the day, the stranger gave him the 
strip of raw-hide from the back of the bull, and 
soon the magical belt was made, just as the 
voice had directed. 

Then in a dream the voice came to the boy 
again : 

^'Cut a few hairs from the raw-hide belt; 
then go out and cut a small lock from the backs 
of seven large bulls. Cut these hairs into small 
pieces and place them together, and they will 
be all the medicine you will require. The belt 
will give you whatever you desire. But this 
power will continue for seven years only. At 
the end of that time, your skill in medicine will 
leave you and the belt will lose its power." 

The boy now started out on a tour of cattle- 
doctoring. He visited a city where there was 
a valuable bull very sick. He examined it, and 
then went to the owner. 

**I am a cattle doctor," he said, **and I know 
that I can make your animal well, if you will let 
me take care of it." 



224 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

The owner was glad to let him take care of the 
bull, because the other doctors had said that it 
could not get well. 

The boy with the magical belt began treat- 
ing the bull, and by the next day it was entirely 
well. 

*^What shall I pay you?" asked the owner, 
who was glad to have his bull well again. 

*^0h, I will leave that to you to decide," the 
boy said. 

* * Then I will give you a bull, ' ' the owner re- 
plied, ^ ' for you have done me a great service. ' ' 

' ' I have no use for an animal, ' ' said the boy, 
**I would rather have money." 

*'Well, as I would not have lost my bull for 
fifty pounds," said the man, **I will give you 
that amount." 

So he gave the boy fifty pounds. The boy 
carried the money home, and gave it to his 
father to put away for him. After that he trav- 
elled about the country, making sick cattle well, 
and he always cured them, since he always used 
the medicine the dream had told him to make. 

The boy always slept with his belt under his 
head, and one night in a dream the voice said : 

*^Take your belt to the large pasture near 
the lake. Go to-morrow, but you must first 
eat your breakfast ; and then you must eat your 
dinner, and then you may go. Leave the belt 
in the pasture; and the next day, at the very 



FAIRY TALES 225 

same hour, go to the pasture and claim as your 
own whatever you find there.'' 

The boy did as the dream told him. He ate 
his breakfast, and then his dinner, and then he 
went to the pasture and left the belt. 

The next day at the very same hour, he went 
back to the place where he had left the belt. 
What was his surprise to see standing beside 
the belt a great beautiful white bull! It was 
the most beautiful animal he had ever seen. 
He led it away to his home. 

Soon the news of this wonderful bull spread 
far and wide. Not far off in a city there lived 
a king, who owned a bull. He was very proud 
of this animal, and when he heard that there 
ivas another bull as wonderful as his own he 
was angry. 

**Who is the owner of this wonderful bull?" 
he asked. 

**A cattle-doctor," they said, *'and he has 
such skill that the cattle always get well when he 
gives them his wonderful medicine. ' ' 

**I must see this wonderful bull," said the 
king ; so he sent messengers to the cattle-doctor. 

*^The king would like to see your beautiful 
bull," the messengers said. So the boy went 
to the city with his bull. On the way he told 
the bull where they were going. 

When the king saw the wonderful creature 
he was so pleased that he wished to buy it. 



226 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

**NoI No!*' answered the boy, *'I could not 
part with my bull for any price." 

Then the king said : 

''Well then, let the animals fight/' 

So the bulls were taken to a large field, 
where many people were gathered to see the 
sport. 

''Do not kill the king's bull,'' the boy whis- 
pered, "but knock him down and show that you 
are the master." 

Then the fight began. The bulls rushed at 
each other with their heads held low, and very 
soon the king's beautiful white bull was on the 
ground under the feet of the other. 

"Call your bull away!" begged the king. 
"Bo not let him kill my bull !" The boy called 
to his bull, which at once left the other, and 
came quietly to him. 

The king's bull lay on the ground, wounded 
and bleeding. 

"If you will only heal the wounds your bull 
has made," said the king, "I will pay you well." 

So the boy gave the king's bull some of his 
magical medicine and at once the animal was 
healed. The king rewarded him as he promised, 
and gave him one hundred pounds and a fine 
horse. This money also the boy gave to his 
father, who laid it away with all the rest of the 
money. 



FAIRY TALES 227 

Soon after this the boy, sleeping on his magi- 
cal belt, had another dream. 

*^ To-morrow, just before sunset, the king will 
come with his servant to visit you. They will 
ask to see the wonderful bull. But they mean 
to poison him. Drive the bull and the horse 
from the pasture, and lock them in the barn. 
When the king comes, pretend to go and hunt 
for them; but instead go away into the woods 
and wait until the king goes home.'^ 

The next day these things happened just as 
the dream had said. 

Another day the king came again, and said to 
the boy: 

**If you will give me the bull, I will give you 
one hundred pounds.'' 

*'No, I would not sell him for that,'* said the 
boy. 

* * Then I will give you three hundred pounds, ' ' 
said the king. 

*^ Very well then,'' the boy replied, "you may 
have the bull." For he knew that the seven 
years of magical power had nearly passed, and 
he wished to get as much money as he could. 

After this, sleeping with his belt under his 
head, the boy had another dream. 

"Gather hairs from as many kinds of cattle 
as you can. Take these with the belt to the 
pasture. Lay the belt on the ground, and scat- 



228 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

ter the hair over it, wishing as you do this, that 
the pasture may be filled with cattle. The next 
day at the same hour, return to the pasture and 
claim as your own whatever you find." 

The boy did just as the dream had told him, 
and the next day he went back to the pasture 
and there before him were all sorts and sizes 
of cattle of the finest breeds. He drove the cat- 
tle home. 

*^ Where did you get all these cattle," asked 
the father. 

**From the Great Spirit alone," said the boy. 

Soon after this, the dream told the boy to 
place sheep's wool in the field and lay the belt 
upon it, and wish for sheep. The morning after 
he had done this he found a great flock of sheep 
in the pasture. 

Again, the dream told him how to fill the pas- 
ture with geese, and then hens, and ducks, and 
all other animals he might wish. And all this 
was done by the magical belt. 

Now the seven years of magical power were 
ended. The boy took the belt out into the pas- 
ture and left it there, for the dream had told 
him to do this. He never saw the magical belt 
again, and he had no more wonderful dreams. 
But he lived very happily because of the seven 
years of prosperity the magical belt had given 
him. 



g^^'i;gF^i;??s;i^s^;^S'^'^^ 




liij peniii.s.sioii, coi>yii</ht by lluauhtoit , Mtl/liu d- to. 

"And Glooscap, resting lightly upon his bow. watclied Bootup 
until the clouds of smoke died away in the distance. 
And from that day, whenever an Indian sees a whale 
blowing, he says: "he is smoking the pipe of Glooscap." 



COOLNAJOO THE STUPID 

ONCE upon a time three brothers lived to- 
gether. The youngest was a silly fellow 
who was always doing outrageous things. 

One day they killed a pig. The two older 
brothers went to buy salt, and told the youngest 
to remain to watch the house and the pig. 

*^We are going to salt down the pork," they 
said, ^'and keep it for the long days.'* 

After they had gone Coolnajoo, the Stupid, 
went out and found some men at work. 

**If there is a man here named Longdays, I 
have a pig for him," he said. 

One of the men declared that that was his 
name; so Coolnajoo gave the pig to him, and 
he carried it away. 

Soon the brothers returned and wondered 
what had become of the pig. 

'^Why !" said Coolnajoo, ^^ Longdays has been 
here and has taken it away. Did you not say 
it was to be kept for Longdays?" 

**0h, you blockhead!'' they cried. *'We told 
you that it was to be kept for ourselves when 
the days became long next summer." 

Soon after this, Coolnajoo was sent to buy a 



230 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

horse. He bought the horse, and started home 
with it. Near the house there was a long lane, 
lined with trees and bushes. When Coolnajoo 
came to the head of the lane, he said to the 
horse : 

*'This is the road. Now you may go to the 
house yourself.'* He took off the halter and 
the horse kicked up his heels and made for his 
old home. 

Coolnajoo went home and told his brothers 
how stupid the horse had been. 

**You numbskull!" they exclaimed; **you can 
never do anything right. Why did you not ride 
him down the laneT* 

**0h, I will do better next time,'' he promised. 

Soon after this the brothers sent Coolnajoo 
to find a woman to help care for the mother, 
who was ill. Coolnajoo took his bridle and 
went off. He soon found a woman, and they 
started home together. When they reached 
the head of the lane Coolnajoo said to her: 

*'I must put the bridle on your head; you 
will need to carry me on your back. ' ^ 

The terrified woman screamed, and broke 
away from Coolnajoo and fled. 

Coolnajoo was very much puzzled at the 
woman's actions. He went home and told his 
brothers that the woman had run away. 

*'Why, what was the trouble," they asked 
him. 



FAIRY TALES 231 

* ^ When I tried to drive her home as you told 
me, she screamed and ran away from me, cry- 
ing as hard as she could,'* said Coolnajoo. 

^^Oh, you stupid!^' they cried; ^^was that the 
way to treat a woman? You should have taken 
her hy the arm, and given her a kiss/' 

**Ah, well,'* said Coolnajoo, *'I shall know 
better next time. ' ' 

But the next time Coolnajoo was sent for a 
pig. He led the pig until he came to the lane. 
Then he tried to make the pig walk on its hind 
legs, and when the terrified animal squealed and 
kicked, Coolnajoo gave it a kiss. But the 
frightened pig gave Coolnajoo such a blow in 
the face with his tusk that Coolnajoo let go of 
the rope, and off went the pig home. 

Coolnajoo went home with his face torn and 
bleeding, and told his brothers that he had lost 
the pig. 

*^0h, you stupid r^ they cried, **we will never 
send you anywhere again.'* 

But one day the brothers needed a tub of 
lard, and there was no one to send but Coolna- 
joo. So they told Coolnajoo just what to do 
and said he must be sure to bring the lard home 
safely. 

Coolnajoo bought the lard, and started for 
home. When he came to a part of the road that 
was dried and cracked by the sun, he said: 

**0h, my old grandfather, what a terribly 



232 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

sore back you have, so naked and dry I You 
shall have my lard for salve, and I will rub it 
on.'' 

Coolnajoo spread the lard over the dry road, 
and when it was all gone, he went home. 

*^Why have you not brought the lard?" the 
brothers asked, when they saw Coolnajoo re- 
turning empty-handed. 

**0h, dear me," answered Coolnajoo, **I came 
upon a poor old man, lying in the road, with his 
back all sore and cracked ; and I pitied him, and 
spread the lard over him." 

*'Poor old man!" they said, ^^we will go and 
bring him home. ' ' So the brothers started off, 
with Coolnajoo, but when they came to the 
cracked road and saw what Coolnajoo had done 
with the lard, they cried : 

*^0h, you stupid, we will never send you any- 
where again." 

At last Coolnajoo suddenly/ became as clever 
as he had been stupid. 

One day the two brothers went away and left 
him at home to take care of the pigs. While 
they were away, he sold the pigs, but he cut off 
their tails, and stood them up in the quagmire 
so as to deceive his brothers. When his 
brothers came home and asked how he had man- 
aged with the pigs, Coolnajoo said: 

**Why, all the pigs broke out of their pen, 



FAIRY TALES 233 

and rushed down to the shore. They are in 
the quagmire!** 

The brothers ran down to the shore to see, 
and there, sure enough, were the pigs with just 
the tips of their tails sticking out of the sand. 
They seized the tails to pull them out, but the 
tails broke off (so they thought) and the pigs 
sank down into the mire so deep that they could 
never be found. 

At last Coolnajoo made so much trouble for 
his brothers with his cleverness that they de- 
cided to do away with him altogether. They 
thought it would be best to drown him ; so they 
tied him up in a bag, and took him down to the 
shore when the tide was out, and buried him, 
leaving him to be drowned when the tide came 
in. 

Soon Coolnajoo heard a drove of pigs going 
by, saying: 

''Vh! Uhf Uhf' 

^^Come and help me,*' he called. *^If you 
will uncover me and untie me, I will lead you to 
a place where you can feed on chiclcweed to your 
hearts* content.** The pigs heard him calling 
and went to the spot where he was buried. 
They thrust their noses deep into the soft earth, 
and soon unburied the bag. They dragged it 
out, and untied the string. Up jumped Coolna- 
joo, seized one of the pigs, and thrust him into 



234 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

the bag. Then he put the bag back into the 
hole, and drove the other pigs away to the field 
of chickweed, where they were kept busy until 
the tide returned and covered the spot where 
Coolnajoo had been buried. 

When the tide had gone out again, Coolnajoo 's 
brothers began to feel sorry for what they had 
done to him. They went to the spot where they 
had buried him, of course expecting to find him 
dead. What was their surprise, on opening the 
bag, to find, instead of their brother — a dead 
pig! 

Coolnajoo had been watching them from a dis- 
tance, and when they reached home they found 
him astride the ridge-pole, laughing at them. 

After this Coolnajoo was more clever than 
ever, until at last his brothers could endure him 
no longer, and planned once more to kill him. 
This time they thought they would do better. 

**We will take him to the water-fall, ' ' they 
said, ^ ^ and throw him in, and let him be dashed 
to pieces in the rapids.'' 

So they tied Coolnajoo up in a bag again, and 
hung the bag across a pole, and started for the 
water-fall. But they became hungry on the 
way, and put him down by the side of the road, 
while they went to an inn to eat. 

While they were gone, a drover passed by 
and spying the bag, he went up and gave it a 
kick, to see what might be in it. 



FAIRY TALES 235 

' ' Hallao ! ' ' he called. ' ' What is all this ? ' ' 

**My brothers and I are going in search of 
gold/' said Coolnajoo. *'I am hiding in the 
bag so I can be carried to a place where we are 
to make our fortunes/' Coolnajoo 's story de- 
ceived the drover. 

*'I will give you my whole drove of cattle/' 
he said, *4f you will only let me have your place 
in the bag." 

Coolnajoo was quite willing, you may imag- 
ine ; so the drover took his place in the bag, and 
Coolnajoo went off with the cattle. 

**But you must be cautious," called Coolna- 
joo, **and you must not speak or the trick will 
be found out. My brothers must not know that 
it is not I who is in the bag. By and by you 
will hear the roar of the water-fall, but do not 
be frightened. They are going to lower you 
down into the fall to get the money, and before 
you go they may give you two or three swings. 
You must keep still then and not speak. And 
after that you can have everything your own 
way." Then Coolnajoo went on to the market 
with his cattle. 

The brothers soon came back to the bag, put 
it on the pole, and started upon their journey. 
"When they reached the water-fall, they stood 
as near to it as they could, and gave the bag 
three swings in order to send it out as far as 
possible. Over the fall they threw it, and went 



236 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

home again, thinking they were well rid of Cool- 
najoo. But they had no sooner reached the 
house, than Coolnajoo came in with his pockets 
full of money from the sale of his cattle. 

After that the brothers were willing to let 
Coolnajoo alone, and help him spend the money 
he had brought home. 



THE BOY WHO EESCUED HIS BROTHER 

ONCE upon a time there lived a very poor 
man who had a large family. One 
day a stranger came to him, and offered him a 
large sum of money for his little son. The man 
needed money so much that he sold the child, 
although he knew very well that the stranger 
was an evil spirit. 

Soon after this, another son was bom in the 
family. When the boy was old enough to talk, 
he began to ask about his older brother. 

** Where is my brother f he asked his mother 
one day. The mother began to weep. 

**Your father sold him to a stranger,'' she 
said. 

^' Where has he been taken T' asked the little 
boy. 

*^An evil spirit carried him away,'' the 
mother replied, **no one knows where." 

'^1 will go and "bring my brother back/' the 
child said. 

The very next day there came to the house 
a stranger, whom no one but the child could see. 
And he talked with the child. 

237 



238 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

*'Do yon wish to rescue your brother from 
the evil spirit who has carried him offf the 
stranger asked. 

'^Yes,'' answered the child, ^*I wish very 
much to rescue him.'* 

^^Then/' said the stranger, ^'when you are 
ready to go, I will help you.'' 

The next morning, when the child went out, 
the stranger met him and said: 

'*Are you ready for your journey?" 

^*Yes, I am all ready to start," the boy 
answered. Then the stranger gave him a tiny 
horse-whip, saying: 

**Hide this whip in your clothes, and do not 
let anyone know that you have it. When the 
proper time comes, you will know what to do 
with it." Then he pointed out the road the 
child must travel over. 

*^Do you see in the distance there, the road 
that passes through a cloud?" he asked. 
' ^ That is the road you are to take. When you 
have passed through the cloud you will come 
to a large house. You will meet the owner, 
and he will ask you what you want. Tell him 
that you are looking for work. He will tell 
you that if you can take care of horses, he will 
give you work. Tell him you can, and accept 
the place. While you are taking care of the 
horses, one of them will speak to you, and tell 
you that he is your brother, and he will ask 



FAIRY TALES 239 

you why you have come. Then you must tell 
him that you have come to rescue him/' 

The boy started out upon his journey along 
the road that passed through the thick cloud, 
and when he had reached the other side of the 
cloud, he saw a large white house, as the stran- 
ger had told him he would. As he drew near, 
the master of the house came out and said : 

'^What did you come here for?" 

**I came here looking for work,'' answered 
the boy. 

**I will give you work, if you can take care 
of horses," the master of the house said. 

So the boy stayed to care for the horses. 
One day one of the horses spoke to him. 

**My brother," he said, ^^why have you come 
here? It is an evil place. I was once as you 
are now, and 7 was set to tending horses as 
you are doing, until I, myself, was turned into 
a horse." 

^'That will not happen to me, my brother," 
said the boy, *^for I have come to rescue 
you." 

^*Alas! You will never be able to do it," 
the enchanted brother said. 

One day, soon after this, the boy asked his 
master to allow him to take a ride. The master 
was willing; so the boy took out his enchanted 
brother from the stable, and rode him in the 
yard, and then galloped about. 



240 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

* ^ To-morrow, my brother," he whispered, 
*^we will start for home." 

**We cannot do it," answered the enchanted 
brother; *^they will pursue us and bring us 
back." 

**No, my brother, they cannot overtake us. 
I know that I shall rescue you," the boy said. 

The next day, the boy again asked for a ride, 
and the master said that he might go. He 
mounted his brother again, and first rode very 
slowly back and forth near the house. Then 
he turned away from the house, toward his own 
home. At first he walked slowly, then suddenly 
broke into a quick gallop. 

When the master saw him galloping away, he 
suspected that the boy was trying to escape, 
and sent men to capture him. The boy turned 
and saw them coming. He knew that if they 
could only reach the cloud, they would be safe, 
for their pursuers would be powerless. 

The enchanted boy galloped as fast as he 
could, but the men gained upon them. They 
had not yet reached the cloud, and now the pur- 
suers were almost upon them. 

Then the boy remembered the little whip that 
the stranger had given him, saying, ^'When the 
proper time comes, you will know what to do 
with it." The time had now come! The boy 
drew the whip from his pocket, where he had 
kept it hidden, and struck the horse a sharp 



FAIRY TALES 241 

lash with it. This put new life into the tired 
animal. He galloped on at twice the speed, 
and soon they were far ahead of their pursuers. 
At last they reached the thick cloud. The horse 
gave a great leap into it, and they were safe 
beyond the dominions of the evil spirit. 

When they were on the other side of the cloud, 
they met the stranger who had helped the boy 
rescue his brother. 

**Do not go into the village, but go into the 
forest and pass the night there," the stranger 
said. Then he took off his cloak and threw it 
over the horse's head, and went away. 

The boy took the horse into the forest and 
tied him to a tree and then lay down to sleep. 
In the morning, when he awoke, he found his 
brother sitting beside him, now turned back into 
his own form. But he was without clothing; 
BO the boy went into the village and begged 
Bome for him, and soon he was clothed and 
ready to start out into the world again. The 
stranger met them. 

*^Go to your home, now, and carry the cloak 
I left with you last night. Throw it over your 
father.'' 

They went home, and as soon as they saw their 
father, they threw the cloak over him, as they 
had been told to do. Then the father ran out 
of the house; and the moment he was outside 
the door he was turned into a horse, and an 



242 (GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

evil spirit leaped upon his back and lie galloped 
away and was soon out of sight. 

The two brothers left their old home, after 
that, and set out upon a journey; but they were 
seen by only a few people, for they were in- 
visible to most. At length they came to a house 
and went into an upper chamber. In the morn- 
ing their friend came to see them, and said: 
^^We had better stay here all night." 
The next morning, when the people of the 
house went to inquire for them, the room was 
empty. The doors and the windows were fas- 
tened, and the boys' clothes were left in the 
room. They had been taken away by the good 
stranger to his own country, where there were 
no evil spirits to trouble them. 



i 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP THE GREAT 
CHIEF 



HOW GLOOSCAP FOUND THE SUMMER 

IN the long ago, when the Indians lived in 
the early red light of the morning, Gloos- 
cap, the Great Chief, went very far to the 
north, where all was ice. 

At last he came to a wigwam, and there he 
found a giant — a great giant, for he was Win- 
ter. Glooscap entered the wigwam; he sat 
down. Then Winter gave him a pipe; he 
smoked, and the giant told him tales of the 
olden times. 

The charm of the Frost was upon him, and 
while the Giant Winter talked, the Great Chief 
nodded and then fell asleep. He slept for six 
months. Then the charm left him, and he 
awoke and went npon his journey. He has- 
tened toward the south, and at every step it 
grew warmer, and by and by the flowers sprang 
up and talked with him. 

At last the Great Chief came to where all the 
little folk were dancing in the forest. Their 
queen was Summer, the most beautiful of all 
women. The Great Chief seized her, and by 
a clever trick he kept her. For he cut a moose 

245 



246 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

hide into a long cord ; and as he ran away with 
Summer, he left the end of the cord trailing 
behind him. 

Then the little folk, the fairies of the Light, 
pursued him. They saw the cord trailing, and 
caught it. But as the Great Chief ran, he let 
the long cord run out, and left the fairies far 
behind. 

The Chief travelled on until he came once 
more to the lodge of the Giant Winter. But 
now he could not be charmed. He was stronger 
than Winter ; for he brought the Summer with 
him. 

The Giant Winter welcomed the Great Chief 
for he hoped to freeze him again into slumber. 
But now this time the Chief talked. And as 
he talked, great drops of sweat began to run 
down old Winter's face. The Chief talked on, 
and the Giant Winter began to melt. He 
melted, and melted, until at last he had quite 
melted away. 

Then everything awvke. The grass grew; 
the fairies came out; the snow melted and ran 
down the rivers, carrying away the dead leaves. 

Then the Great Chief left Summer with 
them, and went home. 



HOW GLOOSCAP CONQUERED HIS 
ENEMIES 

ONCE, in the long ago, the Great Chief 
Glooscap lived on an island called Aja- 
lig-un-mechk. With him were many Indians, 
who had the names and natures of animals and 
birds ; and who had the power to take the form 
of these animals and birds when they wished. 
All of these Indians had magical power, but 
they were not so powerful as the Great Chief. 
So they were jealous of him; and at last they 
determined to go away and leave him alone, and 
to take with them little Marten and the grand- 
mother, who lived with Glooscap. They 
thought that if they left him alone on the 
island he would soon die, — for they did not 
know the power of the Master. 

They waited until Glooscap went into the 
forest on a long journey. Then they made 
everything ready, and stole away to the canoes. 
But just then Glooscap came back out of the 
forest, and saw that the grandmother and 
Marten were gone. He followed their tracks 
to the shore. There he saw Winpe, a mighty 

247 



248 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

sorcerer, his greatest enemy, pushing off with 
them in a canoe. They were still near the shore, 
and Glooscap called loudly to the grandmother : 
^^Noogumee, send me back my dogs.'' 
These dogs were very small, no larger than 
mice. The grandmother took a small wooden 
dish, and put it into the water, and placed the 
dogs upon it, and they floated back to the shore. 
Glooscap took up the dogs, and put them into 
his pocket, and returned to his wigwam; and 
his enemy, Winpe, paddled away across the 
water with Marten and the grandmother. 

A long time passed, but Glooscap did not 
pursue his enemy. Some say that it was three 
months; some say, seven years. Why he did 
this no one knows. Perhaps it was so that he 
could gain greater power ; perhaps he had other 
work to do; perhaps he wished to let his ene- 
mies suffer. But when the right time came, 
the Great Chief took his dogs and went down 
to the shore. He stood and looked far out to 
sea, and then he began to sing a magic song. 
It was the song that all the whales obeyed. 
He watched, and soon a small whale arose far 
off in the sea. He had heard the Great Chief's 
call, and he came swimming to him. When the 
whale was close to the shore, Glooscap rested 
one foot upon the whale's back to try his 
weight; but he was very heavy, and the whale 
sank down in the water. 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 249 

**You are not large enough,*' said the Great 
Chief. ^^Keturn to your home in the ocean/' 

Then Glooscap sang his magic song once 
more. Soon there came Bootup, the largest 
whale in all the ocean. Glooscap stepped upon 
her back, and she bore him swiftly away over 
the sea. 

Now as Bootup sped across the ocean she be- 
gan to think that if she went so fast she might 
run upon the shore, or come to a place where 
the water was shallow, and she could not get 
out again. This was just what Glooscap 
wanted her to do. 

As Bootup came near the shore she kept ask- 
ing Glooscap whether he could see the land. 
But Glooscap always answered: 

*^No.'' 

Then Bootup would go on again as fast as 
she could. But soon Bootup saw clam shells 
under the water, and she was more afraid than 
ever. She called out: 

^*My grandson, does not the land show itself 
in the distance like a bow-string?'' 

**We are still far from land," said Gloos- 
cap. So she went on, until the water was so 
shallow that they could hear the clams sing- 
ing. 

Now these clams were enemies of Glooscap; 
and they were singing to Bootup, urging her to 
throw him into the sea and drown him. She 



250 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

could not understand what they said, so she 
asked Glooscap: 

**My grandson, what are the clams singing T' 

**They tell you to hurry me on as fast as you 
can," said Glooscap. So Bootup swept on 
through the water, thinking that the clams were 
urging her to hurry: — until all at once she 
found herself high and dry on the shore. Then 
she was terribly frightened, and she began to 
cry out: 

**Alas, my grandchild, you have been my 
death. I shall never again swim in the sea/' 

And Glooscap answered: 

**Do not fear, Noogumee.'' 

He gave one push of his bow against the 
great whale and she was sent far out to sea. 
Then Bootup was glad once more. She lighted 
her pipe, and went sailing happily home, smok- 
ing as she went. 

Glooscap now began to search for the trail 
of Winpe and Marten and the grandmother; 
and after a long time he came to a deserted 
wigwam, and there he found a small birch-bark 
dish, which had belonged to Marten. Glooscap 
examined it, and saw that it had been there for 
seven years — although some say it was only 
three months. So by this he knew how long 
Winpe had been away from this place. The 
Great Chief followed the trail eastward and 
found another deserted wigwam, where Winpe 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 251 

had been. Near this wigwam there was a 
wretched lodge, and in it a poor, helpless- 
looking old woman, doubled over with age. 
She was really an artful sorceress, Glooscap's 
deadly foe, who was determined to kill him. 
The Great Chief knew this at once. The old 
woman asked him to help her, and Glooscap 
pretended to do everything she asked, but while 
he busied himself in the lodge, he put her 
into a deep sleep by his magic, and went his 
way. 

Soon the sorceress awoke, and when she 
found that she had been outwitted, and that 
Glooscap 's contempt for her was so great that 
he had scorned even to destroy her, she was 
furious; and in her rage, she pursued him, de- 
termined to be avenged. 

The Great Chief was in no danger, and there- 
fore he had no fear. He carried in his bosom 
his two little dogs. These dogs were no larger 
than mice, but they could immediately assume 
the size and fury of the largest animals. As 
soon as the sorceress came near him, Glooscap 
took the little dogs from his pocket, and said 
to them: 

**When I command you not to growl, spring 
upon her, and the more loudly I call you off, 
the more furiously must you tear her." 

When the sorceress saw the little dogs take 
on their giant forms, and heard their fierce 



252 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

growls, she was frightened and shrank back 
from them. 

^'Call off your dogs!" she shouted. 

The Master called out to the dogs to be quiet, 
but the more he shouted, the more furious they 
became. They rushed at the sorceress, and de- 
stroyed her. 

Glooscap now journeyed on until he came to 
the top of a high mountain. In the distance he 
saw a large wigwam, where two old wizards, 
who hated him, lived. These wizards had two 
daughters. 

When the wizards perceived by their magical 
power that the Great Chief, the enemy of all 
evil-doers, was near, they sent their daughters 
out to meet him. They gave them strings of 
bear's meat to put around his neck — as was the 
custom — but this was magical meat which, 
once around his neck, would have strangled him 
to death. 

When Glooscap saw the maidens coming to 
meet him, he knew who they were, and what 
their intentions were. He gave his dogs the 
magical word, and let them go. As soon as 
they began to growl at the sorcerers, Glooscap 
commanded them to be quiet, saying: 

^^ These maidens are my sisters.'' But the 
dogs rushed on, and tore them to pieces. 

Glooscap took the magical meat that was in- 
tended to kill him, and went to the wigwam; 



pK-^V-KKVS_v^^>.>.V'^'V^'^.VV.V>.*^.LVC« 




B[l periitission, cojjin'i^/ht hi/ IJ mn/lii ,,i, . Miiiliii il- ( n. 
Glooseap's magical doos (Ie8t)oyino' tlie two maiden sorcerers. 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 253 

and looking in at the door, he threw it around 
the old man's neck. Then he went on, leaving 
the sorcerer strangled by the magical meat. 

Then Glooscap made his way toward the 
shore; but he must travel over a mountain 
where there was a narrow pass, guarded by a 
KookweSy a terrible giant. This Kookwes 
managed to entrap all who passed, whether 
man or beast. 

When he saw Glooscap approaching, he said : 
^'Noiv I shall have a capital dinner/* 
Glooscap gave his dogs the magical word, 
and went boldly into the pass to face the 
Kookwes. The Kookwes rushed at Glooscap 
to kill him, but the dogs with a bound seized 
the giant by the throat, and killed him. 

The Great Chief knew that he had now de- 
stroyed all the sorcerers that beset his way, 
and that he must next attack Winpe, the great- 
est enemy of all. He set out once more upon 
his journey, and soon reached the sea. He fol- 
lowed along the shore, stopping at the old 
camping places of Winpe. He always ex- 
amined the little bark dishes that were left be- 
hind, and these told him that he was rapidly 
gaining upon his enemy. 

Soon he came to a place where Winpe had 
crossed the water. The Great Chief stood 
upon the shore, and sang his magical song 



254 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

whicli the whales obeyed. At once a whale an- 
swered his call, and carried him swiftly across 
to the other shore. Glooscap hastened on, and 
followed along the shore "until he found that he 
was bnt a three days' journey behind his 
enemy, the terrible sorcerer, Winpe. 

Again he must cross the water ; and again he 
sang the magical song which the whales obeyed. 
A great whale appeared, and soon carried him 
safely to the other side. Glooscap now came to 
the place where Winpe had camped the night 
before. Then he hurried, speeding over the 
ground with mighty strides, and before long he 
overtook his old housekeeper, weak and totter- 
ing with hunger and abuse. She was carrying 
Marten on her back, for he was so weak that 
he could walk no farther. Winpe and his 
family were far ahead, but the grandmother did 
not dare to try to escape, for she feared the 
power of the wicked sorcerer. 

Marten, who had his face turned backward, 
was the first to spy Glooscap following them. 

* * My elder brother, help us I Give ns food I ' ' 
he called. 

**The Chief is not here," the grandmother 
said sadly, *^We left him far, far, behind." 

Marten soon caught another glimpse of Gloos- 
cap, and called again for food. The grand- 
mother looked back this time, and when she saw 
the Master, she was so overjoyed that she 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 255 

fainted. When she became conscious, Gloos- 
cap stood beside her. She began to weep, and 
to tell him how cruel Winpe had been to them. 

'* Think no more of it,*' said Glooscap; *Hhey 
will soon have their punishment." 

They travelled along together until they came 
to the place where Winpe was camping, and 
then Glooscap said to Marten : 

* * I will hide here, and when Winpe sends you 
for water, make it unclean. And then when he 
scolds you, throw the baby into the fire and run 
to me." 

Marten did just as Glooscap told him. He 
put mud and filth into the water, and when 
Winpe saw it, he said : 

** Horrors! What terrible water! Go and 
get some that is clean." 

Marten tossed the baby into the fire, and 
ran as fast as he could toward the place where 
Glooscap was hiding, calling out: 

^^Nsesaho! My elder brother! Come and 
help me." 

Winpe pursued him, vowing vengeance, cry- 
ing exultingly: 

"Your brother cannot help you. He is far, 
far away, where we left him; and though 
you bum the world, I will seize you and kill 
you." 

On ran Marten with Winpe close behind him, 
until they came almost to Glooscap 's hiding- 



256 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

place. Then the Great Chief sprang up and 

stood before Winpe. 

The sorcerer stopped short, and challenged 

Glooscap to fight. Then he stepped back, and 

summoned all his magical powers. 

He grew larger and larger, until his head 

almost touched the clouds. 

Glooscap did not move, but he, too, began to 

put forth his magic ; he grew larger and larger 

until he towered above Winpe, and his head 

reached far above the clouds into the clear sky. 
When Winpe saw this, he said: 
''You have conquered and killed me,'* 
Glooscap, scorning to fight Winpe or strike 

him, touched him lightly on the head with the 

end of his bow, and the wicked sorcerer fell 

down dead. 



THE EETURN OF GLOOSCAP 

FTER the Great Chief had rescued the 
grandmother and Marten and had de- 
stroyed Winpe, he built a canoe, and went 
across to the island where the Kwemoos — the 
Loons — lived. They were friends of Glooscap, 
and he had done them many favours. So when 
they knew that the Great Chief was among them 
they were very glad. They held feasts and 
games for many days. 

One day, while Glooscap was on the island 
of the Loons, he was standing on the shore of 
a lake, and the chief of the Loons, seeing him 
standing there, came to ask a favour. But as 
he drew near the Great Chief he was so awed 
that he did not dare come to him, and so he flew 
around the lake. Three times he came near, 
and each time he could not speak, but flew away 
again around the lake. At last Glooscap called 
to him, saying, **Come to me." 

Then the Loon flew to him, and the Great 
Chief taught him a shrill, doleful cry, and said, 
** Whenever you or your people need my help, 
call upon me in this way, and I will hear you. ^ ' 

After many days spent on the island of the 

257 



258 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Loons, Glooscap entered his canoe once more 
with Marten and the grandmother, and soon 
they came to a broad, beautiful river. They 
travelled along ihis quiet river until suddenly, 
without any warning, the river rushed down in- 
to the earth, and was swept along under ground 
between cataracts so dark and frightful that 
Marten and the old grandmother died of terror. 
The canoe was drawn along with awful swift- 
ness through the darkness, and for a long time 
Glooscap could only sit quietly and guide it past 
the rocks. At last he saw far ahead a faint 
light, and then the canoe left the Cavern of 
Darkness and entered into the sunlight, where 
the water was smooth, and flowers were in 
bloom. 

Glooscap drew the canoe upon the bank ; then 
he took Marten by the hand and said to him, 
'^Uchkeen, my younger brother, numchaase, 
arise!'* Marten opened his eyes, thinking that 
he had only been asleep. 

Then the Great Chief took the grandmother 
by the hand and said, ^^Noogumee, numchaase 
— arise !'* Then the grandmother came to life; 
and she, too, believed that she had only been 
sleeping. 

Near the landing place was a lonely wigwam, 
and in this wigwam was an old warrior, who 
had magical skill. He knew the power of the 
Great Chief, and wished to make a trial of his 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 259 

own skill in magic. So he determined to freeze 
Glooscap, if he could. As night set in, he 
brought in an armful of wood, and said, ^^We 
will have a cold night; the sky is red.'' 

So the two sat and smoked through the night, 
and talked. It grew colder and colder, until 
the cold put the fire out ; and then the old wife 
and the grandmother and Marten died. But 
the two magicians talked on until morning as 
though nothing had happened. 

In the morning Glooscap brought Marten 
and the grandmother and the old wife to life, 
and then he invited his friend to feast with 
him in the evening. 

The Great Chief now built a lodge, and in 
the evening the magician came to visit him. 
After the feast, the Great Chief said, slyly, 
** There will be a great frost to-night; the sky 
was red at sunset.'' 

Then the magician knew that Glooscap would 
take his turn at magic. 

Glooscap made a blazing fire, and the two 
smoked and talked as they had done the night 
before, as though nothing were happening. It 
grew colder and colder, until the fire died out 
and grandmother and Marten again died of the 
cold, although the Great Chief had wrapped 
many furs about them. Then the poles of the 
wigwam snapped, and the trees and the great 
rocks outside cracked and fell in pieces. 



260 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

In the morning Glooscap brought his dead 
companions back to life, and made ready to set 
out upon his journey. He took leave of his 
friend, but neither spoke of their great play 
with magic. 

The Great Chief travelled on until he came 
to the sea. Then he sang his magic song which 
the whales obeyed, and at once a large whale 
came to him. After he had placed the grand- 
mother and Marten upon the whale's back, he 
himself stepped on, and the whale soon carried 
them to the opposite shore, far away. 

They landed near an Indian village, where 
lived an old Indian, who was so misshapen and 
ugly that he had always failed in winning a 
wife, for the Indian maidens would not even 
look at him. His name was Mikchichk — Tor- 
toise. 

When Glooscap and the grandmother and 
Marten reached the wigwam, Mikchichk was 
on the shore spearing a salmon: but when he 
saw them, he hastened home and welcomed 
them. He gave the Great Chief the place of 
honour in the wigwam, and prepared a feast. 

When the news that Glooscap was in the vil- 
lage had spread about, preparations were 
made for a public feast and a dance. A crier 
was sent about the village, calling out as loud 
as he could: 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 261 

'^How! Row! How!'^ inviting every one to 
the feast. 

Now the chief had two unmarried daughters, 
both of them very beautiful ; and Glooscap ad- 
vised Mikchichk to seek one of them as his wife. 

**Long ago, I gave up all thoughts of secur- 
ing a wife," said Mikchichk. *^I do not please 
maidens." 

**But I will make you pleasing to every one," 
said the Great Chief. So Glooscap gave 
Mikchichk coat and leggings, and best of all, 
his magical belt. And Mikchichk was no longer 
an ugly, deformed old man ! The magical belt 
had transformed him into a young and hand- 
some Indian brave. He went to the feast, and 
he could leap and run and play ball and wrestle 
as well as any one there. 

But in the midst of his enjoyment he met 
with disaster. It was in a game of ball; 
Mikchichk caught the ball, and was running 
for dear life to the post, dodging right and 
left to avoid his pursuers — for all the other 
braves in the game were jealous of the hand- 
some stranger, and all had joined in the pur- 
suit. Mikchichk was driven straight to his 
own lodge. There was nothing left for him to 
do in order to escape, but to make a great spring 
over the lodge. Mikchichk tried to do this, but 
he missed his aim, and was caught on the ridge- 
pole, just over the chimney-hole. 



262 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

Glooscap had been inside the wigwam all this 
time, but he knew what was happening outside. 
And when Mikehichk landed on the ridge-pole, 
Glooscap arose quietly, and piled fir boughs on 
the fire. This made a great smoke, which 
nearly stifled the Tortoise ; and it so stained his 
coat that the marks never wore off, and are 
there until this day. 

**You will kill me, Nulooks, my nephew,^' 
shouted the Tortoise. 

**No, I will not,'' answered Glooscap, **but 
on the contrary I will make you immortal. 
You shall never die ; you may live on the land, 
and you may live in the water; although your 
head may be cut off, it shall not kill you. And 
your heart shall still beat, even though your 
body be cut in pieces." 

Then Glooscap helped Mikehichk down, and 
Mikehichk said: 

**I will leave this place, and go on." 

And Glooscap said : 

** Whither will you go?" 

**I will go anywhere and everywhere," said 
Mikehichk. And with this he went away, and 
has ever since led a solitary life. 

After the festival was over, Glooscap and 
his companions set out upon their journey. 
They travelled on until they came to the island 
home of Kitpooseagunow. Kitpooseagunow 
was himself a great giant and a friend and 



s^gv\ vs^^Vh,^s^ss.s^.\sg 




;•••/ , 



rnpin-inht h;/ II ini tiJit o n . Mifllin it- Co. 

Glooscap iiud Kit])0()S('a<iunow fisliino' for whale. 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 263 

helper of Glooscap, but this did not prevent 
their having a hearty contest of magic, in which 
they both were nearly killed. As the two 
giants talked that evening in the wigwam, 
they called up a great frost by their magic, and 
the trees were torn up by their roots, and the 
great rocks were split; and all within the wig- 
wam were frozen to death, except the two 
magicians, who barely escaped with their own 
lives. 

In the morning they brought their dead com- 
panions to life, and then Eatpooseagunow said 
to Glooscap: 

** To-night, let us go out in the seas in a 
canoe and catch whales by torchlight.^' 

Nothing could please the Chief better, for he 
was a great fisherman. 

Now when Glooscap and Kitpooseagunow 
reached the shore, Glooscap could see plenty of 
rocks lying about, but there was no canoe. 
Kitpooseagunow picked up the largest of the 
rocks, and put it upon his head, and at once it 
became a great, beautiful canoe, large enough 
to carry the two giants. Then he took up a 
smaller stone, and this became a paddle. Then 
he split off a great splinter from a ledge of 
rock, and this was changed into a spear. 

**Who will sit in the stern and paddle, and 
who will take the spear T' asked Glooscap. 

* ^ I will take the spear, ' ' said Kitpooseagunow, 



264 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

So Glooscap took the paddle, and soon they 
were far out at sea. By and by a whale glided 
by, and Kitpooseagunow plunged his spear into 
the back of the great creature and held it 
lightly above his head, as though it were a 
trout, although it reached above the clouds. 
Then he tossed it into the canoe. 

'^ There, that will do," he said; **let us re- 
turn. ' ' 

When they reached the shore, Kitpooseagu- 
now took a stone knife and split the whale end 
to end in two equal parts. He gave one half 
to Glooscap, and took the other half for him- 
self. Each carried home his portion, and 
roasted it for his evening meal, and then ate 
every morsel! 

After the contest with Kitpooseagunow, the 
Great Chief travelled homeward, taking with 
him Marten and the grandmother, and at last 
they reached the lonely point of land, high 
above the water, where the Great Chief had his 
wigwam. And then Glooscap hung strings of 
beautiful beads and wampum about the old 
grandmother's neck, and made her young and 
beautiful again ; and he made wonderful stones 
for her — the turquoise, and agate, and a cave 
full of purple amethyst — to make her so happy 
that she would forget the sufferings she had 
endured from Winpe, the giant sorcerer. 



HOW GLOOSCAP TRANSFORMED THE 
INDIAN 

IN the olden time, two Indian braves set out 
upon an adventure. The younger one was 
going to seek a wife, and the other went with 
him as his companion. 

The two Indians travelled a long way 
through the forest, until at last they came to 
the ocean. In the distance, far out from the 
shore, they could see an island ; and this island 
looked so pleasant that they thought they would 
like to visit it. So they built a canoe, and set 
out. When they reached the island, they found 
a man living there in a great wigwam. This 
was Glooscap, the Great Chief, himself ; and he 
lived here with only the old grandmother and 
Marten. 

The travellers entered the wigwam, and sat 
down upon the mat in the place for the guests. 
The old grandmother at once placed food be- 
fore them, in a very tiny dish. This dish was 
so small, and there was so little food, the 
travellers began to fear that they would have 
but little to eat. But they were mistaken, for 

265 



'266 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

this was magical food, and no matter how much 
they ate, the food w^as not lessened. There 
was just as much on the platter as ever. 

They spent the night in the wigwam of 
Glooscap; and the next morning, before they 
set out upon their journey, the Great Chief 
gave the older Indian new clothing and combed 
his hair, and gave him a magical hair string. 
This hair string brought to the Indian magical 
powers, and changed him into a Megumoowesoo 
— a good magician. Then Glooscap gave him a 
tiny flute, and taught him how to play and to 
sing. He had never been able to sing before, 
but now, when Glooscap told him to sing, he 
found that he had a wonderful voice, and could 
sing with great ease. 

The Megumoowesoo now asked Glooscap to 
loan them his canoe, so that they might con- 
tinue their journey. 

*^I will lend you my canoe willingly," said 
Glooscap, *^if you will only bring it home 
again. I have never yet loaned it, but that I 
had to go after it, before I could get it back 
again. ' ' 

**I will surely return with the canoe," said 
the Megumoowesoo. 

Glooscap took the two young men down to the 
shore to help them make ready for their jour- 
ney. The travellers looked all about, but they 
could see no canoe. But near the shore there 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 267 

was a small, rocky island, witli trees growing 
upon it. 

^^That is my canoe,'* said Glooscap. 

The two Indians stepped upon the island, 
and it glided away by magical power. It 
carried them straight out to sea, until they 
came to a large island. They landed there, 
and then they set out in search of the people. 
Soon they came upon a large Indian village, 
where there was a chief who had a beautiful 
daughter. This chief was so wicked that he 
delighted in causing the death of all his daugh- 
ter's suitors. He would give such impossible 
tasks that they would be killed in attempting 
them, or else they would be put to death for 
failing. 

When the Megumoowesoo and his friend en- 
tered the wigwam, they were given the seat of 
honour; and then the Megumoowesoo at once 
told their errand. 

*^My friend is tired of living alone /^ he said 
to the chief. This meant, *^my friend would 
like to marry your daughter." 

**He may have my daughter for his wife,'' 
said the chief, ^*but he must first bring me the 
head of a horned dragon." 

The two Indians agreed to this, and then they 
went to another wigwam to pass the night. 

In the night, when the whole village was 
asleep, the Megumoowesoo stole out to hunt for 



268 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

a dragon, and soon found a hole in the ground 
where one was hiding. He placed a stick of 
wood across the hole, and then he danced and 
danced around the hole, singing to charm the 
dragon out. 

In a little while the dragon's head appeared, 
and as he began to crawl out of the hole, he 
dropped his neck upon the log which the 
Megumoowesoo had placed across the entrance. 
Then, with one blow of his hatchet, the 
Megumoowesoo cut off the dragon's head, and 
took it by its shining yellow horns, and placed 
it beside his sleeping companion. Then he 
aroused him and said: 

** Carry this dragon's head to the chief." 
The suitor did as the Megumoowesoo had 
told him, and the astonished old chief said: 
^^This time I shall lose my daughter/' 
Then he said to the young man: 
**I should like to see my new son-in-law coast 
down hill on a hand-sled." 

Now near the village there was a high moun- 
tain with steep, rugged sides ; and this was the 
place the old chief chose for the coasting 
ground. He brought out two sleds, and gave 
one to the two strangers, and the other to two 
Indians, who were wizards in the form of young 
men. 

The four Indians climbed the mountain to- 
gether, and when all was ready, the Megu- 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 269 

moowesoo and his friend took the lead, and the 
Megumoowesoo steered the sled. The two wiz- 
ards followed, thinking that the strangers would 
soon fall from their sleds, and then they could 
run over them and crush them to death. 

Down the mountain side they went at a fear- 
ful rate — down, down, down the rough path — 
and the young man soon lost his balance and 
fell from the sled. But the Megumoowesoo 
quickly caught him, and put him back in his 
place; and at the same time he turned a little 
aside and made the others pass him. In an 
instant they were again under way, and when 
they reached the cliff, their sled made a great 
bound and leaped far over the other. The 
Megumoowesoo shouted and sang as they flew 
on; the sled thundered to the bottom of the 
mountain; it sped on toward the village, with 
undiminished speed; it bounded through the 
village until it struck the side of the old chief 's 
wigwam, and tore it from end to end. 

The old chief sprang up in terror, and cried : 
^^This time I have lost my daughter!^' 
But he was not willing to admit himself 
beaten yet. 

*'I should like to see my son-in-law run a 
race," he said. 

So the young man made ready to race with 
one of the chief's magicians, and as they were 
about to start, the Megumoowesoo slipped his 



270 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

flute into his friend's hand, thus giving him 
magical power. The two started off slowly, 
side by side at first, so that they could talk 
together. 

^^Who and what are you!'' the young man 
asked the magician. 

^^I am Wegadesk, — Northern Lights," he an- 
swered. **And who and what are you?" 

**0h, I am Wosogwodesk, — Chain Light- 
ning," said the young man. 

Then they began to run at full speed. At 
noon Chain Lightning reached the village; he 
had run around the whole world — but North- 
em Lights did not appear until evening, and 
then he came in panting. 

Once more the old chief exclaimed: 

**This time I have lost my daughter.** 

But the chief had still one more task, in 
which he hoped the young man might yet be 
killed. 

**I would see my son-in-law swim and dive, 
before he marries my daughter," he said. 

Now as the young man plunged into the 
water with his rival, who was a Boooin, he 
asked : 

^^What is your name?" 

**I am Ukchigumooech, the Sea Duck — And 
who are you," asked the Boooin. 

*^0h, I am Kweemoo, the Loon," answered 
the young man. 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 271 

Then down they plunged into the water. 
After a long, long time the Sea-Duck came up 
to the surface, but they waited and waited for 
the Loon to appear. When at last the Loon 
did appear, the old chief said: 

^^My son-in-law, I have lost my daughter. 
You are stronger than I. You may take my 
daughter and go — but first the wedding dancd 
must be held, and every one must take part in 
it.'' 

The Megumoowesoo suspected more magical 
work, and he determined to break up any plot 
the old chief might have to harm them. The 
dancing ground was a cleared, well-beaten spot 
near the chief's wigwam; and when all had 
gathered there, and the dance was about to be- 
gin, the Megumoowesoo suddenly sprang into 
the dancing ground and began to dance. 
Around and around the circle he stepped in a 
measured tread, and at every step his feet sank 
deeper and deeper into the smooth earth, 
ploughing it up into high, uneven ridges. 
Deeper and deeper he sank, and higher and 
higher became the furrows about him, until 
nothing but his head could be seen above the 
ground as he danced about the circle. Then he 
stopped. He had made the ground unfit for 
the dance, and so the old chief could play no 
magic that day. 

Then at last the young man and his bride 



272 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

and the Megumoowesoo started out for home 
in the magical canoe, — but their troubles were 
not yet over, for the wicked old chief had sent 
some of his magicians ahead to destroy them 
on the way. As the Megumoowesoo and his 
friend glided along in the magical canoe, they 
suddenly discovered that a storm had been con- 
jured ahead of them, and was rushing upon 
them. The Megumoowesoo must meet this 
with his magic in order to save them. So he 
stood up in the canoe, and began to call up a 
storm. Soon the two storms had met in mid- 
ocean, — but the Megumoowesoo 's storm was 
the stronger, and swept the magician's storm 
out to sea, and left a great calm. 

Then they passed a great beaver, which was 
really a Boooin in disguise, planning to capsize 
the canoe. But the Megumoowesoo said: 

**I am a capital hand to hunt beavers;" and 
with one blow with his hatchet he killed the 
beaver. 

Then they passed other magicians in dis- 
guise, and killed them all; and at last they 
came unharmed to the island of Glooscap and 
found the Great Chief waiting for them on the 
shore. 

*'Well my friends, I see that you have re- 
turned my canoe," he said. 

**We have, indeed," they replied. 



LEGENDS OP GLOOSCAP 273 

*^How have you fared f Glooscap then 
asked. 

Then they told him about their adventures, 
but the Chief knew all this, because he alone 
had helped them in all their trials. 

As they were leaving, Glooscap said to the 
Megumoowesoo : 

**If ever you are in trouble, you have but 
to think of me, and I will send assistance to 
you. ' ' 

The two men and the bride started home- 
ward; and when they reached the deep forest, 
they separated. The young man and the bride 
went to their home, to begin their daily life to- 
gether, and the Megumoowesoo departed to lead 
that higher life to which Glooscap had ap- 
pointed him. 



HOW GLOOSCAP DEFEATED THE SOE- 
CERERS 

IN the olden time there was a man who had 
three sons and a daughter. All were ma- 
gicians and giants. They ate human flesh, and 
did everything that was horrible and wicked; 
and the world soon grew tired of them and 
all their doings. Yet when these people were 
young, Glooscap had been their friend. He 
had made the father his adopted father; the 
brother, his brother; and the sister, his sister. 
As they grew older, and he began to hear on 
every side about their evil deeds, Glooscap said : 

^ ' I will go among them, and see whether this 
is all true. If it is, — they shall die. I will not 
spare one of those who devour men and op- 
press them, I do not care who he may be." 

So the Great Chief went to the sorcerers. It 
happened that their father had but one eye. 
Glooscap made himself like him, so like him 
that in no way were they different. He went 
to the wigwam, and sat down by the old man. 
The brothers came in, and seeing the newcomer 
BO like their father, they said: 

274 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 275 

**Here is a great magician. But he shall be 
tried before he goes, and that bitterly.'' 

Then the sister took the tail of a whale and 
cooked it for the stranger to eat. But as it 
lay before Glooscap on the platter, the elder 
brother came in and said rudely, **This is too 
good for a beggar like you,'' and took it away 
to his own wigwam. 

Then the Great Chief said, *^What was given 
to me is mine; so I take it again." And sitting 
where he was, he unlled for the food to come to 
him ; and it came flying into the platter. Then 
Glooscap ate it. 

The brother said, *^ Surely, he is a great ma- 
gician ; but he shall be tried before he goes, and 
that bitterly." 

When Glooscap had finished eating, the 
brothers brought in a great bone, the jaw of 
a whale; and the eldest brother, using both 
arms, and all of his strength, bent the bone. 
Then he handed it to the Great Chief; and he, 
with his thumb and finger, snapped it like 
a pipe stem. And the brothers said again, 
*^ Surely, he is a great magician, but he shall 
be tried before he goes, and that bitterly." 

Then they brought a great pipe full of the 
strongest tobacco. No man could have smoked 
it unless he were a magician. They passed the 
pipe around, and every one smoked. The 
brothers blew the smoke through their nostrils, 



276 (GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

but when the pipe came to Glooscap, he filled 
it full again, lighted it, and with one pull burned 
all the tobacco into ashes, and blew all the smoke 
through his nostrils at one puff. 

Then the brothers were angry, and said again, 
*'This is indeed a great magician, but he shall 
be tried before he goes, and that bitterly.'* 

They tried again to smoke with him. They 
closed the wigwam and hoped to smother him 
in smoke. But Glooscap sat and smoked away 
as though he were on a mountain top. At last 
the brothers could bear the smoke no longer, 
and they said, **This is idle. Let us go and 
have a game of ball." 

The place where they were to play was on a 
plain, and Glooscap saw that the ball with which 
they played was a hideous skull. It was alive 
and snapped at his heels when it rolled. If he 
had been as other men, and had been bitten so, 
it would have taken off his foot. But Glooscap 
laughed and said, **So this is the game you 
play. Good! But let us each have a ball." 

With that he stepped to a tree on the bank 
of the river, and broke off the end of a bough. 
At once this turned into a skull ten times more 
terrible than the other. 

The giants ran before this horrible ball ; but 
it pursued them, and they fled from the field. 

Then the Great Chief stamped upon the sand, 
and the waters arose and flooded the place, 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 277 

and streams and rivers poured from the moun- 
tain side. The whole land trembled with the 
roar. Then the Great Chief sang a magic song 
which changes all beings, and all the wicked 
sorcerers were transformed into sharks. 



HOW GLOOSCAP WAS CONQUERED 
BY WASIS 

IN the long ago it came to pass, when Glooscap 
had conquered all his enemies — the Kew- 
ahqu\ the giants and sorcerers, and the MHeovin 
lin, magicians, and the Pamola, the evil spirit 
of the night, and all kinds of ghosts, witches, 
devils, cannibals, and goblins, he began to think 
upon what he had done, and he wondered 
whether his work on earth were finished. 

And he spoke these thoughts to a woman, 
who was clever and ready of tongue. But she 
replied, **Not so fast. Master, for there yet re- 
mains One whom no one has ever conquered, 
nor got the better of in any way, and who will 
remain unconquered to the end of time.** 

**And who is hef asked the Master. 

^*It is the mighty Wasis,'* the woman re- 
plied ; ^ * and there he sits. And I warn you that 
if you meddle with him you will be in sore 
trouble. ' ' 

Now Wasis was the Baby! And he sat upon 
the floor, sucking a piece of maple sugar, 
greatly contented, troubling no one. 

As the lord of Men and Beasts had never 

278 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 279 

married, nor liad a child, he knew nothing of 
the way of managing children. But, like all 
such people, he felt very certain that he knew 
all about it. So he turned to the baby with a 
sweet smile, and bade the little one come to him. 

The Baby smiled back at the Great Chief, 
but he did not budge. 

Then the Master spoke sweetly, and made his 
voice like the sound of a summer bird, but it 
was of no avail, for Wasis sat still and sucked 
his maple sugar, and looked at Glooscap with 
untroubled eyes. 

And then the Master frowned as in great 
anger, and spoke in an awful voice, and ordered 
Wasis to come crawling to him at once. Baby 
burst out into wild tears and screams — ^but for 
all that he did not move one inch. 

Then the Master, since he could do but one 
thing more, tried that. Glooscap had recourse 
to magic. He used his most dreadful spells; 
he sang the songs which raise the dead, and 
scare the devils, and drive the witches to their 
graves, and bend the great pines in the forest. 
And all the time Wasis sat and looked at him 
admiringly, and seemed to think it interesting 
— but for all that he did not stir. 

So in despair Glooscap gave up, for he had 
no more arts. And Wasis, sitting on the floor 
in the sunshine, went, ^'Goo! Goo!'' 

And to this day, when you see a baby, quite 



280 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

content, saying ^'goo! goo!^' and crowing, you 
may be sure he is thinking of the time when he 
overcame the Great Chief, who had conquered 
all the world. 

For of all beings that have ever been, since 
the world began, Bahi/ alone is invincible. 



HOW THE INDIANS SOUGHT THE 
GREAT CHIEF 

AFTER Glooscap, the Great Chief, had left 
the Indians, and had gone to his home in 
the far west, the Indians were very lonely 
without him, and many often wished they might 
go in search of him. They did not know where 
he was, and so they were uncertain which way 
to go; but they knew that while he was with 
them he was never far away, and that he could 
always be found by those who were willing to 
seek him. 

At last four Indians determined to go in 
search of the Great Chief. They started from 
home in the early spring, and they travelled 
through forests and over rivers, and through 
wide fields in the heat of the summer. They 
went on and on, and cold winter came upon 
them. But they never thought of turning back ; 
they had started out in search of the Master, 
and they would go until they had found him. 
Sometimes they would fall in the deep snow, 
and they were very often hungry and thirsty 
and cold, but they kept on, and at last the winter 
ended, and spring came to them again. And 
then spring passed and it was summer time. 

281 



282 GLOOSCAF AKD OTHEK STORIES 

One day in mid-summer, the Indians came 
upon a trail in the forest. They followed it 
until it brought them out to a beautiful river. 
It wound along the bank of the river, until it 
came to a place where the river spread out into 
a broad, peaceful lake. They followed the trail, 
which led at last to a point of land far out in 
the middle of the lake. From the top of a hill 
they saw smoke coming up through the trees, 
and at last they reached a large, well-built wig- 
wam. 

The Indians entered the wigivam, and saw 
a man of middle age, with a calm, strong face, 
seated on the right side of the fire, in the 
master's place. On the other side, there sat a 
woman, doubled over with age, and very feeble. 
There was another mat spread out on the floor, 
as though a third person had a seat there. 
The master of the wigwam received the guests 
kindly, but did not ask them whence they had 
come, or whither they were going, as is the In- 
dian custom. 

After a time they heard the sound of a pad- 
dle, and the noise of a canoe drawn from the 
water, and after that, footsteps outside. Pres- 
ently, a well-dressed Indian brave of beautiful 
form and features entered with his weapons, 
showing that he had come from the hunt. 

'^Keejoo/^ he said to the old woman, ^' there 
is game without.'' 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 283 

The old woman, weak and tottering, brought 
in four beavers, and began to dress them. But 
she was so feeble and slow that the master 
of the wigwam said, "JJchheen, my younger 
brother, take the work from the mother and 
finish it yourself. ' ' 

The young hunter dressed the beaver, and in 
a short time he had cooked a large portion, and 
set it before the weary, hungry travellers. 

The Indians had rested in this quiet place 
for several days, when one morning the master 
of the wigwam said, '^Uchkeen, my younger 
brother, bathe Keejoo's face.*' 

The younger brother did as he was told, and 
at once the grandmother's wrinkles vanished, 
and she became young again and very fair. He 
then combed her hair and braided it, and it was 
no longer white, but black and glossy. And 
then he dressed her in a beautiful robe, and 
now, instead of being old, bent down and feeble, 
she became straight and active and strong. 

The Indians looked on in wonder. They 
realised, now, that whoever their host might 
be, he was possessed of great power, and 
they knew that he had done this wonderful thing 
to show them what manner of man he was. 

The master now invited his guests to walk 
with him, and when they went out they saw 
that the place was beautiful beyond belief. 



284 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

There were tall trees, with the greenest foliage, 
covered with beautiful, fragrant blossoms, 
standing in rows so straight and so far apart, 
that the visitors could see a great distance in 
every direction. The air was balmy and sweet ; 
and everywhere there seemed to be a sense of 
health and happiness and rest. The owner of 
this beautiful spot now said, '^Whence do you 
come, and whither are you going?" 

**We have travelled from a far-off country," 
the visitors said, ^'and we are in search of 
Glooscap, the Great Chief." 

The master of the wigwam looked at them 
and said, *^I am Glooscap. What have you to 
ask of me?" 

One Indian said, ^^0 Master, I am a very 
wicked man; I have an ugly temper, and I 
would be meek and good." 

**That is well," said Glooscap. 

Then the second Indian said, ^^I am very 
poor. I have never been successful in any- 
thing I have tried to do. I would like to have 
riches. ' ' 

''It is well," said the Master. ''And you?" 
he asked, turning to the third. 

"I am despised and hated by my people," the 
Indian answered, "and I wish to be loved and 
respected." 

"That is well," Glooscap again said. Then 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 285 

he turned to the last Indian. *^And you? 
What would you haveT* he asked. 

Now this Indian was a fine looking young 
brave, vain of his good looks. And he said, 
**I would like to live a long time, and never 
grow old." 

^^You have asked a hard thing,'' said Gloos- 
cap, shaking his head, ^^yet we will see what 
can be done." 

The next day Glooscap took the four men to 
a hill, which they had not noticed before. It 
was very rocky and sandy, and hard to climb. 
There were no trees, and the sun shone there 
from morning until night. Glooscap stood be- 
fore the man who had asked to live a long time, 
and clasped him around the waist. Then he 
lifted the astonished Indian from the ground, 
and set him down again, and passed his hands 
over his body, twisting him as he did so. 

When Glooscap removed his hands, the In- 
dians saw that their companion had been 
changed into an old, gnarled cedar tree, with 
limbs growing out rough and ugly all the way 
from the ground. 

i i There, ' ' said Glooscap. * * I cannot tell how 
long you will live, — the Great Spirit alone can 
tell that. But I think that you will not be likely 
to be disturbed for a long time, as no one will 
have reason to cut you down ; you are unfit for 
any purpose, and the ground about is of no 



286 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

use for planting. Yes, I think that yon will 
stand here for a good, long time." 

The three companions were horror-stricken, 
and began to fear for their own fate. They 
thought that something terrible might happen 
to them. Glooscap took them back to the 
lodge, and opened his medicine bag, and took 
out three small boxes. He gave one to each of 
the Indians. And he gave to each, also, fresh 
clothes, all beautifully finished and ornamented ; 
and the Indians put them on. 

**In which direction does your home lieT' 
Glooscap then asked. 

**We do not know the way," they replied. 
'*It is far from here. We spent one long sum- 
mer, and the winter, and spring, and half an- 
other summer to come hither. We do not know 
whether we can ever find our homes again." 

Glooscap smiled and said, ^'I know the way 
very well. I have often travelled over it." 

**We would have you for our guide then," the 
Indians said. 

So, early the next morning, Glooscap put on 
his belt, and set off on the journey, and the other 
Indians followed him. About the middle of the 
forenoon they reached the top of a high moun- 
tain. From there they could see another moun- 
tain far off in the distance, like a blue line 
against the sky. The Indians thought that it 



LEGENDS OF GLOOSCAP 287 

would take them at least a week to reack the 
distant mountain. They travelled on, and to 
their astonishment, in the middle of the after- 
noon — they reached the mountain. When they 
stood upon the top, Glooscap said, **Look about 
you." 

The Indians looked, and there before them 
was their own native village! 

Then the Great Chief left them, and returned 
to his own home in the far west. 

When the Indians reached home, no one 
knew them, at first, they were so changed. 
But soon they were surrounded by old and 
young, all eager to hear their wonderful story. 

And when they went to their wigwams and 
were alone, they opened the boxes which they 
had kept carefully closed as Glooscap had told 
them. In these boxes there was an ointment, 
and when they had rubbed the ointment over 
their bodies, the wish that each one had made 
to Glooscap was granted. 

The one who had been despised and hated 
and shunned now became beautiful and loved 
by every one. 

The one who wished riches had all he could 
ask. Success followed him whenever he went 
upon the hunt, and plenty reigned in his wig- 
wam. 

And best of all, the man who wished to be 



288 GLOOSCAP AND OTHER STORIES 

meek and good was granted his wish. He was 
ever after free from his faults, and went about 
doing good. 

Such was the work of Glooscap, the Great 
Chief. 

And kespeadooJcsit — the story ends. 



GLOSSARY 



GLOSSAEY OF MICMAC WORDS 

Key to pronunciation. Consonants: g sounded hard, always, 
as in go; c, exactly like k; ch, as in church. 

Vowels: a as in father; a as in fate; a as in fat; a as in sec- 
ond a in ahaft; 

e as in me; e as in met; ei as i in pine {ei in height) ; 

i as in pin; o as in no; 6 as in not; u as in use; u as in tuh; 

00 as in fool; 65 as in good; oio as in now. 

When vowels are doubled as aa, the usual sound of these let- 
ters is prolonged. 

Accent: The usual place for the accent in Micmac is on the 
penult. (In this glossary the accent has been marked upon 
each word, in order to indicate pronunciation clearly.) 

If or w at the beginning of a word preceded by an accent, thus 
'm, 'n, is sounded without a vowel. 



A bis ta na ooch' Marten ; sable. 

Ab lee gu mooch' Rabbit. 

Ab le ge moo' Bullfrog. 

An ta wa' as Yellow woodpecker (it has the same 

form in the plural). 
A took wo' kun A wonder tale ; a fabulous story. 

Boo o' in A magician who exercised his power 

for evil; a medicine man; a 

wizard. 
Boot' up Whale. The suSix askw (or skw) 

fem. gen. usually denotes wife; as^ 

Bootupskw, Mrs. Whale; Mooin 

askw, Mrs. Bear. 
Che noo' A fierce cannibal giant of the north, 

with heart of ice and stone. 
Che pech' calm A horned dragon; the tutelary deity 

of Boooins. 
Cool na joG* Stupid. 

291 



292 



GLOSSARY 



Cul loo' 

Ka' ka kooch' 

Kee joo' 

Kee on ik' 

Kek wa joo' 

Kes pe a dook' src 

Kit' poo se' a gu now' 

Kook' wes 
Kwee moo' 
Man i too' 



Me gu moo' we soo 



Mik chichk' 

Mim ku da wo goosk' 

Mim ku da wok' 

Mog waa' 

Moo' in 

Moo' in Wop' skw 

Niks ka mich' 

Noo' goon 008 koo des- 

kuck 
Noo gu' mee 
Noo je ke si gu no da' sit 

'N SSca' 

N se sa' ko 

'N toos' 

Num chaa' se 

Nu mees' 

Nu looks' 

Oo chi ge a' skw 

Oo chi ge opch' 

pan tah do oe' 'n toos' 

lo' ke cy ow chee' 
Pow' wow 



A mythical monster bird with one 
hundred claws. 

A crow. 

Mother. 

Otter. 

Badger. 

The story endc. 

One (either human or animal) taken 
from his mother's side. 

A cannibal giant. 

Loon. 

A god from the spirit world, who 
can do anything that he is re- 
quested to do. 

Supernatural beings living in the for- 
est, who exercised their power for 
good. 

Tortoise. 

Moosewood man. 

Moosewood tree. 

No. 

Bear; Mooin askm, Mrs. Bear. 

A huge white bear. 

Grandfather. 

Spare my backbone; let my backbone 
remain uninjured. 

Grandmother, 

The wringer and dryer dt socks. 

INIy brother older than I. 

My brother. 

My daughter. 

Arise. 

My sister. 

Nephew. 

Scarred face maiden. 

Scarred face brave. 

Open the door for me, my daughter, 

I am very cold. 

A sorcerer. 



GLOSSARY 



293 



Pow' TTowed 
Pu 16 wech' 
Ta koo 6' now 

Team' 
Te o' mul 
Uch keen' 
Ukeh sa ku' mou 
Uk chi gu moo' ech 
U' sit a bu la joo' 
Wa' sis 
We ga desk' 
Weu ku' juh 
Win' pe 

Wo sog w6 desk' 



To be transformed by magic. 

Partridge. 

A species of trout but brighter in 

colour. {Adagwaasoo is trout.) 
Moose. 

A tutelar deity. 
My younger brother. 
Great chief. 
Sea duck. 

Hung up by the heels. 
Baby. 

Northern lights. 
Red ochre. 
A powerful sorcerer; one of Gloos- 

cap's greatest enemies. 
Chain lightning. 



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